The President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, spoke by telephone with the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, and denounced an “escalation of threats” following Washington's announcement of a “total blockade” of “sanctioned” oil-carrying vessels Venezuelan, and warned about “its grave implications for regional peace.”

During the call, Maduro “denounced” comments by his US counterpart in which he “unacceptably asserted that Venezuelan oil, natural resources, and territory belonged to him,” according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

“Direct threat to sovereignty and peace”

Maduro “stressed that such statements must be categorically rejected by the United Nations system, as they constitute a direct threat to sovereignty, international law, and peace.”

In the conversation, the leftist leader warned about “the escalation of threats against Venezuela and their grave implications for regional peace” and complained of “acts of modern piracy.”

Furthermore, Maduro described the “political, diplomatic, and economic siege against Venezuela, as well as the intensification of a campaign of falsehoods and military threats,” in a context of growing tension due to the deployment US air and naval operations in the Caribbean Sea.

“Blazing theft”

The same Foreign Ministry statement maintains that Guterres stressed the need to “avoid any escalation or confrontation,” and warned that an armed conflict in the region “lacks justification and would be sterile, with serious consequences for regional stability and the zone of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.” He also promised to monitor the situation and promote de-escalation.

On December 10, US military forces seized a tanker that was sanctioned by the Treasury Department and had just departed Venezuela loaded with oil. The United States kept the ship and its cargo, estimated at between 1 and 2 million barrels of crude. Caracas called it “blatant theft.”On Tuesday, Trump announced a “total blockade” against sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. The US president asserted that “the illegitimate Maduro regime is using oil from these stolen fields to finance itself, narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.”