Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Friday (Dec 12) promised political change after slipping out of the country in secret to collect the Nobel Peace Prize, as the shock waves intensified from the Trump administration’s seizure of an oil tanker earlier this week.
That escalation came on the heels of a large-scale US military buildup in the southern Caribbean as President Donald Trump campaigns to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, pushing relations to their most volatile point in years.
The effects could ripple through the region, with Venezuelan oil exports falling sharply and crisis-stricken Cuba, already straining to power its grid, at risk of losing supply.
The US seizure of the Skipper tanker off Venezuela’s coast on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019.
The vessel is now heading to Houston, where it will offload its cargo onto smaller ships, Reuters reported.
The Trump administration does not recognise Maduro, in power since 2013, as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Washington has signalled more seizures are planned as part of efforts to choke off sanctioned oil flows, and subsequently imposed new sanctions on three nephews of Maduro’s wife and six tankers linked to them.
The US military presence in the Caribbean has grown as Trump, in recent weeks, has discussed potential military intervention in Venezuela, based on accusations that the country ships narcotics to the United States.
The Venezuelan government has denied the accusations.
So far, there have been over 20 US military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific against suspected drug vessels this year, in which nearly 90 people have been killed, alarming human rights advocates and stirring debate among US lawmakers.
While many Republicans have backed the campaign, Democrats have questioned whether the campaign is illegal and urged more transparency, including the release of a full, unedited video of strikes on a suspected drug-trafficking boat.
Source: CNA
