Screen grab from a video of the US Coast Guard boarding an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, constituting a new US imperialist aggression. Photo: X/@Sec_Noem.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez reported Saturday that Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) reached its goal of producing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day this year. Simultaneously, Washington announced the hijacking of a second Venezuelan oil tanker carrying the South American country’s crude this month, raising international and regional tensions about a disruption in oil supplies and potential military escalation.
Rodríguez highlighted that the nation’s achievement in production results from the efforts of workers who, in both operational and administrative areas, have faced external hostilities and coercive measures (euphemistically referred to as “sanctions”) imposed by US imperialism.
“The best Christmas gift our people can receive, from dignified and free men and women, is the extraordinary effort of our oil workers who confront and defeat imperial harassment, hostility, and illegality,” wrote VP Rodríguez in a public statement.
The top official noted that the oil sector will continue advancing toward new production goals for 2026. “Nothing and no one will stop us,” wrote the vice president. “We will continue on our victorious path of honor and national dignity.”
The publicly owned company is preparing to increase production in 2026 to exceed this year’s levels, ensuring domestic supply and generating income for Venezuela despite ongoing US imperialist threats.
Oil blockade
Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees the US Coast Guard, posted a seven-minute video on social media showing a helicopter hovering over a second oil tanker carrying Venezuelan oil. She wrote that the tanker was seized with support from the US Defense Department and that it was last docked in Venezuela. So far, Venezuelan authorities have not issued a statements in this regard.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” claimed Noem despite reports that the tanker was not on the US “sanctions list.” Although US officials consistently attempt to frame the tanker seizures as occurring within a legal context, the economic coercive measures (“sanctions”) imposed upon Venezuela by the US are, in fact, illegal according to international law.
In fact, earlier this year, in order to clarify this point, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 79/193 and proclaimed December 4 as International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures, to be observed annually beginning in 2025. “We underline that unilateral coercive measures are illegal under international law,” wrote the statement.
On Saturday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil announced that Iran offered its cooperation to confront acts of piracy and international terrorism by the US regime. Minister Gil stated that he spoke by telephone with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to review bilateral relations and discuss “recent developments in the Caribbean, especially threats” and the “theft of ships loaded with Venezuelan oil.”
Gil said that Tehran expressed “full solidarity” with Venezuela and offered cooperation in all areas to confront the illegal US actions.
Combined with Trump’s threats of land strikes on Venezuelan soil, the oil tanker seizures have ratcheted up pressure on Caracas by targeting its economic lifeline, which had already come under strain from new sanctions on the oil sector earlier this year.
Analysts claim that this marks a new stage of US imperialist aggression against Venezuela, demonstrating that the previous stages, including attempted coups, assassinations, misinformation, funding of opposition parties, sabotage, etc., did not produce the desired regime change. Thus, analysts argue that despite attempting to construct the narrative of a “war on drugs” and of “democracy versus authoritarianism,” the US has failed to oust President Maduro due to the cohesion of most Venezuelans in support of Chavismo and against foreign intervention, as well as due to the weakness and lack of cohesion of far-right forces within the country.
Since September 2, the US military has killed 104 civilians, against a total of 29 small boats, in what the United Nations labels as extrajudicial killings. Trump has attempted to sell the attacks as an effort to crack down on illegal drug flows from Venezuela, a marginal actor in international narcotics networks. The US actions are clear evidence of a new drive to overthrow President Maduro, whose ouster White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has suggested is the US regime’s real goal.
Trump’s announcement this week of a “blockade” also underscored the US ruler’s focus on Venezuela’s oil, which he has said belongs to the US, along with Venezuelan soil.
Despite the clear classification of naval blockades as an act of war under international law, the Venezuelan government has shown restraint to avoid an undesirable military confrontation with the US. However, many analysts claim the latest US moves might aim not only at seizing Venezuelan oil but also at pressuring the Venezuelan military to take action to protect oil tankers, which could provide a minimal excuse for the US to initiate a full military campaign against Venezuela.
The US regime attempts to legitimize its acts of piracy by claiming they are due to Venezuela’s attempts to bypass “sanctions.” However, as noted, under international law, US sanctions are illegal and its actions constitute a violation of free trade and freedom of navigation. Analysts claim that US actions to bypass Chinese sanctions—launched to counter illegal US sanctions—might be used by China to justify seizing US vessels in Asia under the same legal argument.
Other analysts claim that Iran or China might launch similar actions in Asia in retaliation for the effects that US actions have on their economies, as many Venezuelan oil shipments are destined for China in collaboration with Iran.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SL
