HAVANA, December 12. /TASS/. The United States’ seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast violates that country’s right to trade its natural resources, including supply hydrocarbons to Cuba, the Cuban foreign ministry said.
"This step is part of escalation staged by the United States to bar Venezuela from realizing its legitimate right to the free use of and trade in its natural resources with other countries, including supply hydrocarbons to Cuba," it said.
"This act of piracy and maritime terrorism constitutes a serious violation of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation," it stressed. "The US government bears responsibility for these crimes, which are harmful for the entire international community."
The ministry recalled that during Donald Trump’s first office term "measures were taken to hamper free trade in Venezuelan oil resources" and vessels shipping oil to Cuba "were attacked." "This situation continues and today it is aggravated by the use of force in a bid to establish the United States’ domination over our America," it pointed out, adding that such actions "have a negative impact on Cuba and add to the US policy of maximal pressure and economic suffocation," which is directly impacting Cuba’s energy system and the life of the Cuban people.
"This flagrant act of the use of the ‘Trump Corollary’ to the Monroe Doctrine violates Latin America and the Caribbean proclaimed status of a zone of peace and requires condemnation," the ministry stressed.
Earlier, Trump said that the tanker was detained off the coast of Venezuela, and that the United States plans to keep the oil. He also promised to disclose the owner.
The US Department of Justice said that the tanker was transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran in violation of the US sanctions regime. US Attorney General Pam Bondi also claimed that the ship was used to support foreign terrorist organizations.
In response, the Venezuelan government in a statement accused the US of "blatant theft" and described the seizure as "an act of international piracy." It said it would denounce the incident before international bodies.