Overnight, U.S forces were in “active pursuit” of a third Venezuelan oil tanker, part of a so-called dark fleet, trying to avoid U.S sanctions on oil exports in the Caribbean.
The U.S. says the ship is flying under a false flag and is subject to a judicial seizure order.
On Saturday, a coast guard tactical team seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Ten days earlier, American forces rappelled down from helicopters onto another oil tanker’s deck to take control of that ship.
The move comes after President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of the South American country. Those tankers are suspected of shipping oil to nations under U.S. sanctions, such as Russia and Iran.
Venezuela’s government calls the seizures “theft and hijacking.”
As tensions rise, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said he hopes the situation does not spiral into war, telling ABC, “I consider it a provocation and a prelude to war, and I hope we don’t go to war with Venezuela. It isn’t the job of the American soldier to be the policeman of the world.”
The U.S. now has its largest military presence in the Caribbean in decades, striking 28 alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific – killing at least 100 people.
And President Trump said last week he has not ruled out further military action, including ground strikes.
Nicholas Maduro’s government has long been criticized for being an oppressive, corrupt dictatorship, and some Republicans are calling for regime change.
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado told NBC’s “Meet the Press” she’s not sure if US boots need to be on the ground in Venezuela if Maduro is overthrown, saying, “There are other countries that have offered support as well in order to strengthen democratic institutions once the government-elect is in place.”
But Democratic Senator Tim Kaine told NBC’s “Meet the Press” the U.S. action is the wrong way to fight drug trafficking.
“We should be using sanctions and other tools at our disposal to punish this dictator who is violating the human rights of his civilians and has run the Venezuelan economy into the ground. But I’ll tell you, we should not be waging war against Venezuela.”
This past week Trump demanded that Venezuela return assets that it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago, justifying anew his announcement of a “blockade” against oil tankers traveling to or from the South American country that face American sanctions.
Trump cited the lost U.S. investments in Venezuela when asked about his newest tactic in a pressure campaign against Maduro, suggesting the Republican administration’s moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments, along with accusations of drug trafficking. Some sanctioned tankers already are diverting away from Venezuela.
