Cuba’s government on Friday denounced the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker in international waters, calling it a dangerous escalation in Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the Caribbean nation.
The Foreign Ministry described Wednesday’s incident as “an act of piracy and maritime terrorism” and a “serious violation of international law,” citing the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation.
“This action is part of the U.S. escalation aimed at hampering Venezuela’s legitimate right to freely use and trade its natural resources with other nations, including the supplies of hydrocarbons to Cuba,” the ministry said in a statement.
Officials recalled that during President Donald Trump’s first term, measures were adopted to obstruct Venezuelan oil exports and target vessels carrying fuel to Cuba. “This situation persists and has been worsened now with the use of military force in an attempt to impose the U.S. domain on Our America,” the ministry added.
Cuba said the seizure directly impacts its national energy system and daily life for its citizens, describing the episode as “a clear act of application of the Trump corollary of the Monroe Doctrine” and a violation of Latin America’s declaration as a Zone of Peace.
The government demanded “universal condemnation” from the international community.
Venezuela also denounced the incident as “blatant theft,” while U.S. officials referred to it only as a “seizure” amid heightened military activity in the Caribbean.