CARACAS/WASHINGTON - Venezuela on Tuesday denounced the US threat of a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from the country, calling the move a violation of international law and vowing to raise the issue before the United Nations.
In a statement, the Venezuelan government said US President Donald Trump had issued what it called a "grave and reckless threat" against the country, claiming that it violated international law, free trade and freedom of navigation.
Trump claimed Venezuela's oil, land and mineral resources as US property and demanded their immediate surrender, while seeking to impose a naval blockade aimed at "robbing the nation of its natural wealth," it added.
Venezuela reaffirmed its sovereignty over its natural resources and its right to free navigation and commerce in the Caribbean Sea and international waters, it said, adding that it would act in strict accordance with the UN Charter and international law.
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In response to the threat, Venezuela's permanent representative to the United Nations would immediately file a formal complaint.
Calling on the US public and the international community to reject the threat, the statement said Venezuela would never return to a colonial status and would continue defending its independence and sovereignty.
Trump said on Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela, escalating a months-long pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In response, Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez said that any US attempts to block sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela constitute a violation of international law.
Trump also said that the Venezuelan government has been designated "a foreign terrorist organization," accusing it of involvement in crimes including terrorism, drug smuggling and human trafficking.
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Trump also claimed that Venezuela is "completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America," warning that the pressure would continue until the assets he said had been taken are returned to the United States.
Last week, the Trump administration seized an oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast and announced new sanctions on three nephews of Maduro's wife, a Maduro-affiliated businessman, and six companies involved in shipping oil from the country.
Since early September, US forces have sunk at least 25 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 95 people aboard.
For almost four months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to enforce regime change in Caracas.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly said that the US military would begin land strikes targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean "very soon," further escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela.
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Critics, including multiple lawmakers at the US Capitol, have questioned whether counternarcotics are indeed the only US motive and the legality of the US military strikes in the Caribbean.
Some 48 percent of US adults say they oppose the US military strikes targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean near Venezuela without first getting court approval, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week.
