A U.S. Coast Guard vessel is shown in Miami on March 6. The coast guard has been involved in the seizure of two oil tankers off Venezuela since Dec. 10 and was pursuing another tanker on Sunday. (Marco Bello/Reuters)
Trump cites U.S. investments for pressure tactics on Venezuela and its leader Maduro
The Associated Pres
The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government.
The pursuit of the tanker, which was confirmed by a U.S. official briefed on the operation, comes after the administration announced on Saturday it had seized a tanker for the second time in less than two weeks.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the ongoing operation and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Sunday's pursuit involved "a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion."
The official said the vessel was flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.
The coast guard's pursuit of the tanker was first reported by Reuters.
WATCH | Why Trump is at war with Venezuela:
What's President Donald Trump's endgame with repeated U.S. strikes on boats near Venezuela? Andrew Chang breaks down the threats the Trump administration says it's reacting to and why Venezuela's relationship with China may also be a factor. Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.
Saturday's predawn seizure of a Panama-flagged vessel called Centuries targeted what the White House described as a "falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet to traffic stolen oil."
The coast guard, with assistance from the U.S. navy, seized a sanctioned tanker called Skipper on Dec. 10, another part of the shadow fleet of tankers that the U.S. says operates on the fringes of the law to move sanctioned cargo. It was not even flying a country's flag when it was seized by the coast guard.
After that first seizure, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would carry out a "blockade" of Venezuela. It all comes as Trump has ratcheted up his rhetoric toward Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
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 travelling to or from the South American country that face U.S. sanctions.
This handout image from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shows a U.S. military helicopter flying over an intercepted oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday. (U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Reuters)
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.
U.S. oil companies dominated Venezuela's petroleum industry until the country's leaders moved to nationalize the sector, first in the 1970s and again in the 21st century under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Compensation offered by Venezuela was deemed insufficient, and in 2014, an international arbitration panel ordered the country's socialist government to pay $1.6 billion US to ExxonMobil.
Maduro said in a message Sunday on the Telegram messaging service that Venezuela has spent months "denouncing, challenging and defeating a campaign of aggression that goes from psychological terrorism to corsairs attacking oil tankers."
He added: "We are ready to accelerate the pace of our deep revolution!"
WATCH | Maduro warns Trump against 'endless war' with Venezuela:
Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro is calling for the U.S. to make peace after U.S. President Donald Trump dramatically upped the ante with its military presence in the Caribbean.
The targeting of tankers comes as Trump has ordered the U.S. Defence Department to carry out a series of attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that his administration alleges are smuggling fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States and beyond.
At least 104 people have been killed in 28 known strikes since early September. The strikes have faced scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists, who say the administration has offered scant evidence that its targets are indeed drug smugglers and that the fatal strikes amount to extrajudicial killings.
Trump has repeatedly said Maduro's days in power are numbered. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said in an interview with Vanity Fair published earlier this week that Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle."
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that Trump's use of the military to mount pressure on Maduro runs contrary to the president's pledge to keep the U.S. out of unnecessary wars.
Democrats have been pressing Trump to seek congressional authorization for the military action in the Caribbean.
"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," Kaine said. "But I'll tell you, we should not be waging war against Venezuela. We definitely should not be waging war without a vote of Congress.
