Donald Trump has said the US will keep or sell the crude oil contained on tankers it has seized off the coast of Venezuela, as well as the vessels themselves.
The US president’s comments came as Washington continues to pressure the South American country’s leader Nicolás Maduro to stand down.
Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump said of the oil “we’re going to keep it”, adding: “Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we’ll use it in the Strategic Reserves. We’re keeping the ships also.”
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund drug-related crime, while Caracas has condemned the seizures as “piracy”.
The US military has seized two oil tankers this month, including one on Saturday.
Trump issued his latest warning as the US Coast Guard continued to pursue a third oil tanker, which authorities described as part of a Venezuelan “dark fleet” used to evade US sanctions.
“It’s moving along, and we’ll end up getting it,” Trump said.
Separately on Monday, the US military said it carried out a strike on what it said was a suspected trafficking vessel in international waters in the eastern Pacific. US Southern Command said one person was killed.
Someone had pointed out when all this started, this is a privateer, pirating with the sanction of a government. Not honest pirating. ;)
That’s if you’re hired by the government. This is official government agents doing it.
Isn’t privateering still done by a privately owned ship? Pretty sure when government vessels do it, it is just a blockade/sanctions enforcement/etc, until someone declares war about it.
well, then I’d like to see their Letter of Marque… ;)
I remember hearing this, too