Oil, power, and pretext in Venezuela

There has been significant international media attention on the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. President Donald Trump has accused the Nicolás Maduro government of involvement in drug trafficking, alleging that it has facilitated the shipment of illicit drugs destined for the United States. He has also announced what he described as a targeted blockade of oil tankers traveling to or from Venezuela that fall under existing U.S. sanctions.

Trump has argued that the loss of U.S. investments in Venezuela justifies what he characterized as a preemptive campaign against the Venezuelan leadership. Disputes over oil investments, combined with allegations of drug trafficking, have been presented by Trump as central rationales for these actions. However, legal experts and international observers have raised questions about the legality of tanker seizures, particularly amid reports of a U.S. military buildup in the region.

According to a report by AP News, a second oil tanker was seized by the U.S. military on Saturday, December 20^th, 2025. The report follows earlier coverage analyzing the broader implications of U.S. actions toward Venezuela.

In an AP News article published December 17^th, 2025, journalists David Klepper and Aamer Madhani examined Trump’s statements and policy posture. Trump was quoted as saying, “We’re not going to be telling anybody going through who shouldn’t be going through. You remember they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil not that long ago, and we want it back. They took it; they illegally took it.”

The article noted that U.S. companies once dominated Venezuela’s petroleum industry in the 1970s and early 21st century. These companies suffered significant economic losses after the industry was nationalized under President Hugo Chávez. In 2014, an international arbitration panel ordered Venezuela to pay ExxonMobil $1.6 billion in compensation, a judgment Venezuela did not fulfill.

Trump further escalated his rhetoric in a post on Truth Social (@realDonaldTrump), writing, “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before, until such time as they return to the United States all of the Oil, Land and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”

He continued by accusing the Maduro government of using oil revenues to finance what he described as “Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder and Kidnapping,” and stated that the Venezuelan government had been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization. (This designation is not universally recognized and should be clearly framed as Trump’s claim, or policy stance, not as an internationally accepted legal classification.)

Parallel to these developments, a webinar titled “No War on Venezuela” was held as part of Hands-Off Venezuela Week of Action (November 15^th–23^rd). The event featured speakers: Ricardo Vázquez, Jorge Sorger, María Pérez Víctor, and Clau O’Brien Mascosco. Panelists discussed what they characterized as U.S.-led imperialist aggression toward Venezuela and emphasized the need for continued resistance to expanding militarization in Nuestra América.

Several advocacy actions have since been promoted by LatinXPalestine, including:

• Writing to Members of Parliament to denounce Canadian arms and components allegedly used against Venezuela, using a template from the Arms Embargo Platform.
• Signing a petition drafted by Dr. Jorge Sorger.
• Supporting efforts to expose Canadian complicity in imperialism by engaging with the No More Loopholes campaign and contacting MPs.
• Encouraging labor unions to oppose Canadian involvement in Caribbean military actions.