In our Donald-in-Wonderland world, the US is at war with Venezuela while still grasping for a public motive or rationale. The horrific human toll is real – over a 100,000 fatalities from illegal sanctions and over a hundred from more recent kinetic strikes.
Yet the officially stated justification for the US empire’s escalating offensive remains elusive. The empire once spun its domination as democracy promotion.
USA accuses Maduro of stealing Venezuela’s Rockefeller Oil Reserves
Accordingly, State Department stenographers such as The Washington Post framed the US-backed coup in Venezuela – which temporarily overthrew President Hugo Chávez – as an attempt to restore a legitimate democracy.
The ink had barely dried on The New York Times editorial of April 13, 2002 – which legitimized that imperial democratic restoration – before the Venezuelan people spontaneously rose up and reinstated their elected president.
When the America Firsters captured the White House, Washington’s worn-out excuse of the responsibility to protect, so beloved by the Democrats, was banished from the realm along with any pretense of altruism.
The US Dollar, the BRICS, and the new Financial System to be built
Not that the hegemon’s actions were ever driven by anything other than self-interest. The differences between the two wings of the imperial bird have always been more rhetorical than substantive.
However, US President Donald Trump made new regime change threats against Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro. The US Coast Guard has seized two oil tankers while a third reportedly avoided capture and headed to the Atlantic Ocean.
Trump’s escalated rhetoric against Caracas followed ramped-up efforts to enforce a naval blockade and paralyze Venezuelan oil exports. Last Saturday, the US Coast Guard boarded and seized the Centuries tanker east of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea.
U.S. regime confiscates Venezuelan Oil Tanker in International Waters
The Panama-flagged ship had recently loaded a reported 1.8 million barrels of Merey crude at José terminal in eastern Venezuela for delivery in China.
According to maritime vessel sources, the tanker is owned by a Hong Kong company and had transported Venezuelan oil several times in recent years.
The takeover operation was led by the US Coast Guard, with White House officials sharing footage of the boarding on social media.
The Centuries’ seizure followed a similar operation targeting the Skipper tanker on December 10, 2025. However, unlike the Skipper, the Centuries was not blacklisted by the US Treasury Department.
US officials referred to the tanker as transporting sanctioned oil.
Analysts argued that the ambiguous definition is meant to allow US authorities to go after any vessel moving Venezuelan crude in an effort to drive shipping companies away from the Caribbean nation’s oil sector.
The White House’s threats and vessel seizures have already led several tankers to reverse course while en route to Venezuela, with customers reportedly demanding greater oil discounts in Venezuelan crude purchases.
The South American oil industry might soon be forced to cut back production if it runs out of storage space.
On Sunday, US forces attempted to board a third tanker, the Guyana-flagged Bella 1 that was headed to Venezuela to load oil.
US Coast Guard attempts to seize third Oil tanker near Venezuela
However, the ship’s captain allegedly refused to allow the US Coast Guard’s boarding and turned the vessel back toward the Atlantic Ocean. According to reports, US forces continue to pursue the Bella 1.
Trump announced a naval blockade while demanding that Venezuela return oil, land and other assets that were stolen, in reference to nationalizations in past decades.
Foreign corporations that saw their assets expropriated either agreed to compensation or pursued international arbitration.
The tanker seizures, alongside renewed sanctions targeting the Venezuelan oil industry, came amid a massive US military deployment in the Caribbean on the edge of Venezuelan territory.
The build-up was originally declared as an anti-narcotics mission before Washington shifted the discourse toward oil and regime-change.
China and Russia express to support Venezuela
The Venezuelan government has condemned the US military threats and attacks against the oil industry. In a communique issued on Saturday, Caracas decried the second tanker seizure as a serious act of piracy and vowed to denounce it before multilateral bodies.
In recent days, the Maduro government received backing from China and Russia, two of its most important allies.
In a Monday press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian criticized the tanker seizures as violations of international law and stated Beijing’s opposition to unilateral and illegal actions.
The official urged a response from the international community.
Likewise on Monday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil held a phone call with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. According to Gil, Moscow’s top diplomat reiterated support for Venezuela in the face of US military hostilities.
China calls on USA to halt military actions against Venezuela
China and Russia reiterated their condemnation of US military and sanctions escalations against Venezuela during UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.
Several countries urged Washington to adhere to international law in its enforcement of coercive measures and anti-narcotics efforts. Nevertheless, the meeting produced no resolutions.
Venezuela Analysis / ABC Flash Point News 2025.
I’ve seen this before. The schoolyard bully. Sometimes it takes a swift kick to the nuts to disable a much larger opponent.
Never will America pick on someone their own size. Watch how fast Trump’s balls shrivel against equal opponents.
All that energy, all that bravado, all that pride down the toilet. Can’t say this enough. Leave Venezuela alone.
This (US) behavior highly reminds me of that of Israel …. wondering why?