ESCALATING STANDOFF WITH WASHINGTON
The proposed regulation was launched shortly after US forces seized a second oil tanker transporting Venezuelan crude over the weekend. On Dec 16, US President Donald Trump declared a “complete and full blockade” of sanctioned oil vessels getting into or leaving Venezuela.
The transfer marked a pointy escalation in a standoff that started in September, when Washington launched a large-scale naval deployment within the Caribbean, formally described as an anti-narcotics operation.
Since then, US forces have carried out dozens of strikes on boats that Washington alleges had been concerned in drug trafficking. US authorities haven’t publicly launched proof to help these claims. Greater than 100 folks have been killed within the strikes, with some households and regional governments saying the victims included fishermen.
POLITICAL FALLOUT AT HOME
Opposition chief Maria Corina Machado, whose whereabouts are unknown after she left hiding to journey to Oslo to obtain the Nobel Peace Prize, has spoken in favour of US sanctions and the Caribbean naval deployment. Maduro has accused opposition figures of colluding with international powers to destabilise the nation.
Venezuela has been underneath US oil sanctions since 2019 and at present produces about a million barrels of crude per day, most of which is bought on the black market at steep reductions.
Maduro has repeatedly accused Washington of in search of to overthrow him and seize Venezuela’s oil sources, an allegation Trump has bolstered by saying the USA desires Venezuelan oil “again” after the nationalisation of US belongings in 2007.
Russia has in the meantime pledged its “full help” for Caracas because the disaster deepens.
