Caracas slams Washington's threat of naval blockade

CARACAS — Venezuela on Tuesday denounced the US threat of a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the country, calling the move a violation of international law and vowing to raise the issue before the United Nations.

The Venezuelan government said in a statement that United States President Donald Trump had issued what it called a "grave and reckless threat" against Caracas, saying it violated international law, free trade and freedom of navigation.

Trump claimed Venezuela's oil, land and mineral resources as US property and demanded their immediate surrender, while seeking to impose a naval blockade aimed at "robbing the nation of its natural wealth", the statement said.

Venezuela reaffirmed its sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and commerce in the Caribbean Sea and international waters, it said, adding that the country would act in strict accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

In response to the threat, Venezuela's permanent representative to the UN would immediately file a formal complaint.

Calling on the US public and the international community to reject the threat, the Venezuelan government said the country would never return to a colonial status and would continue defending its independence and sovereignty.

Trump said on Tuesday he has ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating a pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

US Representative Joaquin Castro called the blockade "unquestionably an act of war". "A war that the Congress never authorized and the American people do not want," he said on X.

Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Tuesday his country "firmly supports President Nicolas Maduro, the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution, and its Popular-Military Union".

Xinhua - Agencies