‘These acts will not go unpunished’: Venezuela warns after US seizes oil tanker over ‘illicit movement’

Venezuela on Saturday (Dec 20) slammed the seizure of an oil tanker by the US as “theft and kidnapping”. This comes after the United States forces earlier “apprehended” an oil tanker off Venezuela, as announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The incident marks the second in two weeks that US forces have intercepted a tanker in the region. Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” heading to and leaving Venezuela.

“These acts will not go unpunished,” Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said in a statement published on social media, adding that “those responsible for these serious events will answer to justice and to history for their criminal conduct.”

Announcing the military action, Noem posted footage from the operation on social media. She added that the US Coast Guard, along with the support of the Department of War, seized the oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela. She further alleged that the “illicit movement of sanctioned oil” is used to fund narco terrorism in the region.

“In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela,” she wrote. “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you.”

Amid the mounting tensions between the two nations, Trump has said that he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela. On Thursday (Dec 18), the US president said that he does not need congressional approval to order military strikes on Venezuelan soil. His remarks have sparked concerns about the legality of the campaign in international waters. Under the US Constitution, the president serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but Congress holds the exclusive authority to formally declare war.