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Venezuela stated on Saturday that the government of Iran offered its help to "confront the piracy and international terrorism that the United States seeks to impose," following the seizure of a second oil tanker off the coast of the South American country.
The announcement was made by the Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, who stated that he had a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, during which Tehran expressed its "full solidarity" with Caracas and offered cooperation in all areas "to counteract Washington's aggressions."
"Venezuela received a full demonstration of solidarity from the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as its offer of cooperation in all areas to confront piracy and international terrorism that the United States seeks to impose through military force, violating the United Nations Charter and international law," Gil noted in a statement shared on Telegram.
The Venezuelan chancellor stated that both countries discussed the "threats, acts of piracy by the United States, and the theft of ships loaded with Venezuelan oil," referring to the increase in U.S. military operations in the Caribbean.
This Saturday marked the second seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by the U.S. in less than two weeks.
Minutes later, the Iranian government stated that the seizure of the Venezuelan oil tanker by the United States was an act of "state piracy."
"The interception of a merchant vessel transporting oil near the coasts of Venezuela and its seizure is an example of state piracy," says the statement from the Iranian foreign ministry published on Telegram.
The new seizure, confirmed by U.S. officials to CNN, was carried out on Saturday by the United States Coast Guard.
This is a tanker with a Panamanian flag carrying Venezuelan crude oil to Asia.
According to U.S. authorities, the vessel was not on the Treasury's sanctions list.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, declared on platform X that the ship had recently been docked at Venezuelan ports, and warned that “the United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil.”
This operation takes place just ten days after the seizure of the oil tanker Skipper, a vessel linked to Iran and sanctioned by the Treasury Department, which was destined for Cuba.
After the first seizure, President Donald Trump affirmed that his administration "will continue to pursue all ships transporting Venezuelan oil," and even announced a "naval blockade" against oil tankers sanctioned for their ties to the regimes in Caracas and Tehran.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have intensified since early December, when the United States deployed thousands of troops and a naval strike group in the Caribbean to curb drug and arms trafficking from Venezuela.
The Pentagon has acknowledged 29 operations against suspicious vessels, in which more than a hundred people died.
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