{"id":4710,"date":"2025-12-18T05:36:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T05:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=4710"},"modified":"2025-12-18T05:36:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T05:36:44","slug":"us-strike-on-alleged-drug-boat-in-pacific-kills-four-as-trump-accuses-venezuela-of-taking-our-oil-us-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=4710","title":{"rendered":"US strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific kills four, as Trump accuses Venezuela of taking \u2018our oil\u2019 | US news"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The US military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel it said was engaged in drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, according to defense secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a>, as Trump further ratcheted up pressure on Venezuela, accusing the country of taking US oil.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday Hegseth said the \u201clethal kinetic strike\u201d on a vessel engaged in \u201cnarco-trafficking operations\u201d had killed four people. The latest strike in the Pacific brings the death toll to 99 since the US began its campaign of striking alleged drug-trafficking boats in September.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes a day after Donald Trump said he had instituted a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers<\/a> entering and leaving Venezuela, as he accused Venezuela of using oil to fund drug trafficking and other crimes and vowed to escalate the military buildup.<\/p>\n

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Venezuela, which has the world\u2019s largest proven oil reserves, struck a defiant note on Wednesday, insisting it was proceeding with business as usual, despite the threat of a blockade.<\/p>\n

\u201cExport operations for crude and byproducts continue normally. Oil tankers linked to PDVSA operations continue to sail with full security,\u201d state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) said.<\/p>\n

Trump has overseen a major military deployment<\/a> off the coast of Venezuela, and the announcement of a blockade will add to pressure on Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who claims the US seeks regime change instead of its stated goal of stopping drug trafficking.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Venezuela\u2019s President Nicolas Maduro speaking during an event on Wednesday. <\/span> Photograph: Wendys Olivo\/Venezuelan Presidency\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maduro held telephone talks with UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres to discuss what he called the \u201cescalation of threats\u201d from Washington and their \u201cimplications for regional peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foreign minister of China, the main market for Venezuelan oil, defended Caracas in a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil. \u201cChina opposes all unilateral bullying and supports all countries in defending their sovereignty and national dignity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions which would have forced the Trump administration<\/a> to seek authorisation from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels that it deems to be terrorist organisations or launching an attack on Venezuela itself.<\/p>\n

Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that Trump\u2019s aggressions in the region were really because \u201cthe president is coveting Venezuelan oil<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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On Wednesday, Trump cited lost US investments in Venezuela when asked about the blockade, suggesting his administration\u2019s moves are at least somewhat motivated by disputes over oil investments.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil not that long ago. And we want it back. They took it \u2013 they illegally took it.\u201d<\/p>\n

US oil companies dominated Venezuela\u2019s petroleum industry until the country\u2019s leaders moved to nationalise the sector.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has said for months the campaign is about stopping drugs headed to the US, but Trump\u2019s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, also appeared to confirm in a Vanity Fair interview<\/a> published Tuesday that the campaign is part of a push to oust Venezuela\u2019s president, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum waded into the dispute Wednesday<\/a>, declaring that the United Nations was \u201cnowhere to be seen\u201d and asked that it step up to \u201cprevent any bloodshed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#strike #alleged #drug #boat #Pacific #kills #Trump #accuses #Venezuela #oil #news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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