Venezuela demands end to US military presence
Tehran - BORNA - Foreign Minister Yvan Gil on Monday criticized the US military buildup, stating that it is disrupting the flow of oil and energy in the region and exacerbating instability in global markets.
Gil demanded the halt of military deployments, blockades, and armed attacks from Washington.
He emphasized, “Let us demand the immediate cessation of military deployment, blockade, and armed attacks, and activate the mechanisms of the multilateral system to investigate, sanction, and prevent the recurrence of these events.”
He warned that the blockade and piracy against Venezuela's energy trade could adversely affect oil and energy supplies, increase instability in international markets, and harm the economies of Latin America, the Caribbean, and vulnerable countries worldwide.
His remarks followed the US seizure of two oil tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
The US Coast Guard reported efforts to pursue a third tanker transporting oil in international waters near Venezuela, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
US President Donald Trump has imposed a naval blockade against all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
Caracas has denounced these actions as serious international piracy, stating they will be reported to the United Nations Security Council and other multilateral organizations.
Trump’s administration claims that Venezuela is using oil, its main resource, to finance “narcoterrorism.”
Since September, the US military has also conducted a series of airstrikes on alleged drug‑trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Critics have questioned the legality of these attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.
Caracas denies any involvement in drug trafficking and says Washington is seeking to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power and gain control over Venezuela's oil resources.
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