Part of the US military deployment targeting Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. Photo: US Department of War.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—International condemnation is growing against the US theft of a Venezuelan oil tanker from the Caribbean Sea. China, Iran, Cuba, and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have repudiated the “piracy” committed by the United States.
China condemned the US actions against oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea, calling them a direct violation of international law. The statement was made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who also repudiated the unilateral coercive measures imposed by Washington on Venezuela.
Beijing asserted that these measures violate the sovereignty of the affected states and disrupt the functioning of maritime and energy trade in the region.
Chinese authorities further warned that such actions not only harm the targeted countries but also create instability in global energy markets and undermine international economic security, especially in the Caribbean.
China demands respect for the UN Charter
The Chinese government urged the United States to abandon unilateral actions and respect the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, underscoring that China will continue to defend an international order based on international law and mutual respect among states.
According to Beijing, Washington is resorting to economic pressure and the extraterritorial application of its laws as a foreign policy tool, a practice incompatible with international law and regional stability.
The country reiterated that it will continue to advocate for international cooperation and for the safeguarding of the sovereignty of states against “arbitrary and illegal measures.”
Iran repudiates US piracy
Iran called the theft of the Venezuelan oil tanker “piracy.” In a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei emphasized that Washington’s policy of seizing commercial vessels belonging to other countries represents an explicit disregard for international law.
🗞️ Irán calificó como piratería de Estado robo de buque petrolero por EEUU
El vocero Esmaeil Baqaei indicó que acciones de EEUU violan los principios que rigen la seguridad y protección de la navegación internacional https://t.co/Ph48VWmGbf
— Últimas Noticias (@UNoticias) December 12, 2025
He stressed that this measure is a flagrant violation of the principles governing the safety and security of international navigation. He added that invoking US domestic laws and unilateral sanctions to justify these actions does not change the illegal and criminal nature of this “armed robbery at sea.”
Venezuela Condemns US Theft of Oil Tanker as Act of Piracy (+International Reactions)
Cuba’s statement
In a statement issued on Friday, December 12, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that the US empire, in addition to intensifying its escalation of aggression against Venezuela with the recent seizure of the oil tanker, is also reinforcing its siege against Cuba.
“This action is part of the United States’ escalation to prevent Venezuela’s legitimate right to freely use and market its natural resources with other nations, including oil supplies to Cuba,” the statement reads. It added that the action constitutes a grave violation of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation.
The statement highlighted that these actions undertaken by Washington are not new, since between 2017 and 2021, measures were adopted to obstruct the free trade of Venezuelan oil resources and to pursue ships transporting fuel to Cuba.
Se refuerza la guerra económica contra #Cuba 🇨🇺
📌Declaración del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba
📃🔗https://t.co/8VU7rPrXs0 pic.twitter.com/fYkQYULzWF
— Cancillería de Cuba (@CubaMINREX) December 12, 2025
In fact, on Friday, US journalist Max Blumenthal revealed declassified US documents showing that former Venezuelan parliamentarian Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed “interim president” of Venezuela, proposed that US authorities use mercenaries to hijack Venezuelan oil tankers bound for Cuba. This revelation has sparked an uproar in Venezuela.
Hijacking Venezuelan oil tankers was first floated by Juan Guaido’s CIA-backed crew in 2019
This is a document The Grayzone obtained containing an FBI interview with apparent US intel asset Timothy Roen Kraft, who was interested in financing regime change ops in Venezuela
Two… pic.twitter.com/IVFvkvOQBv
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) December 12, 2025
Non-Aligned Movement condemns US imperialist actions
In a statement issued on Friday, the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) condemned the illegal imperialist actions against Venezuela. It warned that “the growing presence and activities of extra-regional military forces, including deployments involving assets with advanced capabilities, increase the risks to regional peace, security, and stability, undermining the very Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.”
The NAM expressed its “deep concern over recent events in the Caribbean region, including the forcible interception and unlawful seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on December 10, 2025.”
The Non-Aligned Movement, comprising 120 countries, also expressed deep concern over the unilateral declaration issued by the United States on November 29, 2025, trying to “completely close Venezuela’s sovereign airspace.”
The statement added that the hijacking of a merchant vessel engaged in peaceful and lawful activities, as well as the de facto declaration of an air blockade carried out without any authorization from the United Nations Security Council, contravene international law and multiple fundamental principles thereof.
It underscored that “such unilateral measures, irrespective of the pretexts invoked, risk undermining the stability, predictability, and spirit of cooperation that should govern relations among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/SC/SF
