Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro warned on Wednesday that his country must “stand as fighters… ready to crush the teeth of the North American empire,” a moment that coincided with the US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
Maduro made the comments while holding Simón Bolívar’s sword during a rally where he was seen on video singing and dancing to a recording of American singer Bobby McFerrin’s late 1980s hit, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Maduro told his supporters that Venezuelans must remain alert as tensions with Washington escalate.
“In these times, things may be different, but we must always stand as warriors, women and men,” he said in a translated interpretation. “With one eye wide open – and the other too – working, producing, building, keeping everything running, and ready, if necessary, to crush the teeth of the North American empire from Bolivar’s homeland.”
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the US had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, sharply escalating tensions with Caracas. According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the tanker was taken because it was allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
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Maduro issues a stark warning after the US seized a tanker near Venezuela, sparking accusations of piracy and deepening a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry condemned the move in an official statement, calling it “a brazen robbery and an act of international piracy” and accusing Trump of openly pursuing a plan to “take Venezuelan oil without paying anything in return.”
The ministry said the move fits into what it described as a long-standing U.S. effort to plunder the country’s natural resources and compared the episode to the loss of Citgo Petroleum Corp., which Caracas said was seized through “fraudulent judicial mechanisms.”
The statement argued that “the real reasons for the long-term aggression against Venezuela” have nothing to do with migration, drug trafficking, democracy or human rights, emphasizing that “it has always been about our natural resources, our oil and our energy.”
Maduro brandishes sword at rally as he rails against ‘imperialist aggression’ amid rising tensions with US
Maduro issues a stark warning after the US seized a tanker near Venezuela, sparking accusations of piracy and deepening a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)
It also accused Washington of using the tanker incident to divert attention from what it described as the failure of political efforts in Oslo by groups seeking Maduro’s removal.
Caracas called on Venezuelans to “remain resolute in the defense of the homeland” and called on the international community to reject what it described as “vandalistic, illegal and unprecedented aggression.”
The government said it will take its complaint to all available international bodies and pledged to protect the country’s sovereignty and control over its energy assets, stating that “Venezuela will not allow any foreign power to attempt to take from the Venezuelan people what belongs to them under historical and constitutional law.”
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Maduro issued a warning after the US seized a tanker near Venezuela, sparking piracy accusations and a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)
Tensions between the two countries have increased after months of US maritime attacks that Washington says targeted ships used by drug traffickers to transport narcotics.
Reuters has reported that more than 80 people have been killed since September, and a separate Reuters report details the increased surveillance and security crackdown in coastal communities affected by the strikes.
Late last month, Maduro appeared at a mass meeting in Caracas with Simón Bolívar’s sword in his hand, warning supporters to brace for “imperialist aggression.”
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about the US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. (Planet Labs PBC/handout via Reuters)
Trump said he had not ruled out sending US troops to Venezuela as part of the administration’s crackdown on criminal networks linked to senior figures in Caracas.
“No, I’m not ruling that out. I’m not ruling anything out,” he said.
He also left room for possible conversations.
“We may have some conversations with Maduro, and we’ll see how that goes. They’re eager to talk,” Trump told reporters this weekend.
Since early September, U.S. strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have destroyed dozens of ships. U.S. officials say many had ties to Venezuelan and Colombian criminal groups.
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Maduro appeared at last month’s rally carrying the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independence leader considered the liberator of much of South America. He told supporters that the country was facing a defining moment.
