US to continue blockade of Venezuelan tankers until US assets are returned
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hagesse said that the US military will continue to block tankers leaving Venezuela or entering its ports until the Nicolas Maduro regime returns all stolen US assets. The Pentagon chief wrote about this on social media.
According to Gagset, Washington's position remains unchanged and is in line with President Donald Trump's decision. The sanctions blockade of oil tankers travelling to or from Venezuela will remain in full force until, as the Secretary puts it, Maduro's criminal gang returns the seized property to the United States.
The statement came after reports of the US military detaining a ship off the coast of Venezuela. Gagset also released a video showing a helicopter flying over the tanker, indicating that the naval operations are in full swing.
The Pentagon clarified that the United States is conducting decisive maritime interdiction operations as part of Operation Southern Spear. Officially, its goal is to counter illegal criminal networks, which, according to Washington, are financed by Venezuelan oil exports.
The Defence Secretary stressed that violence, drug trafficking and chaos should not determine the security of the Western Hemisphere, and the United States intends to continue to use military and economic instruments of pressure.
