Washington [US], December 17: US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of embargoed oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, while Venezuela appealed to the United Nations Security Council.
Reuters reported on December 17 that US President Donald Trump ordered a "complete and thorough" blockade of embargoed oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, while the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continued to warn civilian aircraft about the risk in the South American nation's airspace.
Writing on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump accused Venezuela of "theft of property and many other reasons such as terrorism, drug trafficking and human trafficking."
"Therefore, today, I order a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela," he wrote.
On December 16, the FAA extended its warning to civilian aircraft about operating in Venezuelan airspace, citing risks from military activity.
The FAA advised aircraft to exercise caution due to "deteriorating security conditions and increased military activity in or around Venezuela," according to the warning.
The new warning comes just days after a JetBlue pilot said his plane nearly collided with a U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft near Venezuela .
Venezuela has consistently rejected such accusations from the United States.
AFP reported on December 17th, citing a letter from the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry complaining to the United Nations Security Council about the US "theft" of an oil tanker in the Caribbean last week.
In a letter to Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Venezuela called on the Security Council to condemn what it called "state-sponsored piracy, the unlawful use of military force against a civilian vessel, and the theft of goods arising from legitimate international trade."
In the letter, Venezuela also demanded that the US release the "kidnapped" crew members of the ship. Slovenia currently holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper