The US will seize all oil tankers from Venezuela

The White House has threatened to seize all tankers carrying oil from Venezuela.

The United States has begun to forcibly seize all oil tankers leaving Venezuelan ports without Washington’s direct approval. As White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said, President Donald Trump established a strict naval blockade regime, according to which the right to trade in the republic’s resources now belongs exclusively to the American side. On Fox News, an administration official confirmed that a colossal amount of raw materials has already come under US control.

“Thirty-one million barrels of oil are now heading to the United States for resale. This money goes into an account that is controlled by the United States government,” Caroline Leavitt said.

“The President has made it very clear that only oil tankers that have received U.S. approval will leave Venezuela,” the White House spokeswoman said during a briefing.

“We will continue to seize vessels without state ownership or those that have not received permission to conduct trade from the United States,” Leavitt concluded.

According to the US administration, the Venezuelan interim authorities, led by Presidential Commissioner Delcy Rodriguez, are demonstrating a “high level of cooperation” with the Trump team. Nevertheless, Washington emphasizes that it is too early to talk about holding democratic elections in the country.