US seizes 2nd oil tanker off Venezuela; Brazil warns against intervention

In a dramatic escalation of pressure on Caracas, the United States has seized a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, deepening an already volatile standoff and drawing sharp warnings from across Latin America.

US secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem said the latest seizure took place in a pre-dawn operation on 20 December, with the US Coast Guard, backed by the Department of War, intercepting a tanker that had last docked in Venezuela.

The move follows a similar action on 10 December, which Venezuela condemned as “a blatant theft” and an act of “international piracy”, according to Xinhua.

President Donald Trump has since doubled down, announcing what he described as a “total and complete blockade” of all US-sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

In a series of forceful statements on social media, Trump claimed Venezuela was now encircled by “the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America”, warning that US pressure would only intensify until oil, land and other assets allegedly “stolen” from the United States were returned.

Caracas responded with fury, branding Trump’s declaration a reckless threat that violates international law, free trade and freedom of navigation. The Venezuelan government accused Washington of seeking to impose an irrational naval blockade aimed at plundering the country’s wealth, rejecting the US actions as illegal and provocative.

Alarm has spread well beyond Venezuela’s borders. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that any armed intervention would unleash a “humanitarian catastrophe” for the region and set a dangerous global precedent. Speaking at the 67th Mercosur summit, Lula said Latin America was stunned by the growing military presence of an extra-regional power and cautioned that the limits of international law were being tested.

“Building a prosperous and peaceful South America is the only doctrine that suits us,” Lula said, adding that he had urged Trump in a recent phone call to pursue negotiation rather than confrontation, which he described as both more effective and far less costly.

As Washington designates President Nicolás Maduro’s government a “foreign terrorist organization” and tightens its maritime grip, several Latin American countries and regional blocs have condemned the US actions, calling for dialogue and urging the United Nations and the wider international community to intervene before the crisis spirals further.

With IANS inputs