Cuba accuses the U.S. of "piracy" after losing another clandestine oil shipment from Venezuela

Cuba accused the United States on Wednesday of committing an "act of piracy" following the , an operation that, as revealed by Axios, was transporting Venezuelan crude aimed at the island on a clandestine route linked to the black energy market.

The confiscation, carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), and the Coast Guard with the support of the Department of Defense, directly targets one of the supply lines that Havana has used to circumvent sanctions.

The vessel, a VLCC capable of over 320,000 tons, had been under sanctions for years due to its involvement in illicit networks transporting Venezuelan and Iranian oil. Axios notes that some of this crude was resold by Cuba to Asia and China, in schemes that sources from the outlet link to relatives of Raúl Castro.

The reaction in Havana was immediate. The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel described Washington's operation as "an act of piracy, in violation of International Law," and expressed his "full support" for Nicolás Maduro. "It is an escalation in the aggression against that brother country," he wrote on X.

Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez also condemned the incident. "It is a vile act of piracy that violates free trade and freedom of navigation," he stated, denouncing a new "aggressive escalation" by the U.S. against Venezuela and, by extension, against Cuba.

Meanwhile, in Washington, Donald Trump openly celebrated the seizure of the oil tanker, which he described as "the largest ever captured." When asked by reporters about the fate of the confiscated oil, he responded with a laugh, "We’re keeping the oil, I guess!" He then joked that reporters could "follow the ship by helicopter" to find out more.

The operation has been described by U.S. officials as a "double blow": it impacts the finances of Nicolás Maduro's government and strikes at the energy supply that sustains the Cuban regime. For many Cubans, this episode revives the fragility of a country that relies on these shipments to keep thermoelectric plants operational and maintain basic services amid a prolonged crisis.

Tension is rising in the Caribbean as Washington promises new actions and Caracas speaks of threats of intervention. At the center of this situation, Cuba finds itself exposed once again.