TRANSCRIPT
Fears mounting of open conflict.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demanding that the United States cease its policy of intervention in the South American nation, as well as across Latin America and the Caribbean.
"From Venezuela, we ask and demand an end to the United States government's illegal and brutal interventionism."
But the US is not backing down.
President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval build-up in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people.
And Mr Trump says the US is prepared to go even further.
Strikes will soon begin - says Mr Trump, to intercept narcotics shipments making their way from Venezuela to the US via land routes.
"It has to do with a lot of things. They've treated us badly. And I guess now we're not treating them so good. If you look at the drug traffic, drug traffic by sea is down 92 per cent and nobody can figure out who the 8 per cent is, because I have no idea. Anybody getting involved in that right now is not doing well. And we'll sort that out on land, too. It's going to be starting on land pretty soon.”
The comments made after the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces fast-rope out of a helicopter onto the massive vessel, which the US says was part of an illegal network that smuggled sanctioned crude oil.
In a statement the US Treasury Department, said it has also imposed sanctions on six shipping companies moving Venezuelan oil, as well as six crude oil tankers.
The targeted vessels are supertankers that recently loaded crude oil in Venezuela, according to state oil company PDVSA's internal shipping documents.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the US government will not stop until Venezuelan oil exports are seized.
"The Trump administration is executing on the President's sanction policies and the sanction policies of the United States and we're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world."
Venezuela's foreign ministry says it strongly denounces and condemns what it describes as blatant theft and an act of international piracy and accuses the US of wanting to gain control of its oil supplies.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
So too US democrats who are questioning the legality of the tanker seizure and what the Trump administration might do next.
Democrat Virginia Senator Tim Kaine on Capitol Hill responding to the seizure.
“I think it's an escalation. you could look at just that and say, well, what about the rationale for that? But it's all part of a pattern. You know, the boat strikes, the threats, land invasion could be next, seizing the oil tanker. So, it is an escalation and it you know, continues to demonstrate Congress needs to take this up. We haven't had a single public hearing either in foreign relations or armed services, and we shouldn't be at war without a vote of Congress.”
Republican Senator Pete Ricketts supports the seizure.
“I think we should enforce laws, and if we have ships that are sanctioned, they should be seized. My understanding is that it was a ship that was previously sanctioned for supporting the IRGC and then it was done in conjunction with the FBI and DOJ.”"
Christopher Sabatini, is a senior research fellow at the Chatham House think tank in London.
He's told AAP the US actions are highly questionable in terms of the laws of sea.
Mr Sabatini says the seizure also signals the US is stepping up pressure on the economic lifelines that are sustaining President Maduro.
"It is both a change in strategy and tactics in this case. So, the strategy is regime change. And the idea before the strategy was primarily basically intimidate the military and the inner circle around Maduro and make them think they could possibly be next, whether through a missile attack or a snatch and grab operation inside the country. It was, you know, basically martial intimidation, if you will. Now what we see is another strategy, and with it another tactic, which is to starve the regime of resources: to take away the money that it's received from basically illegal oil shipments to allies, including China, Turkey, Iran and Russia."
The US Treasury is also sanctioning three of Maduro's relatives, including two nephews of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged "Cartel of the Suns," which it declared a "narco-terrorist" organisation last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
