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<h1 class="gmail-content-area__title"><a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/illegality-of-us-actions-venezuela/" rel="bookmark">Why the US Venezuela Blockade Violates International Law</a></h1>
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<img width="768" height="512" src="https://ikona.telesurenglish.net/content/uploads/2025/12/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-17-at-1.38.38-PM-768x512.jpeg.webp" class="gmail-attachment-medium_large gmail-size-medium_large gmail-wp-post-image" alt="A US naval blockade on Venezuela tests the limits of international law, challenging UN principles on peaceful dispute settlement and state equality."> <p class="gmail-content-area__contenedor__imagen__descripcion">A
US naval blockade on Venezuela tests the limits of international law,
challenging UN principles on peaceful dispute settlement and state
equality. (teleSUR).</p>
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</p><p class="gmail-content-area__contenedor__autor__detalle__fecha">December 17, 2025 - <font size="1"><a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/illegality-of-us-actions-venezuela/">https://www.telesurenglish.net/illegality-of-us-actions-venezuela/</a></font></p><p class="gmail-content-area__contenedor__autor__detalle__fecha">
</p><h4 class="gmail-wp-block-heading">Sovereignty, non-intervention, and the UN\u2019s
peace principles collide with Washington\u2019s bid to choke Venezuela\u2019s oil
shipments through a naval blockade.</h4>
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<p>The latest threat from United States President Donald Trump against <a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/countries-condemn-u-s-military-escalation-against-venezuela/">Venezuela</a>,
a country on which he has unilaterally decreed a naval military
blockade to impede oil exports, blatantly violates a series of
international legal instruments.</p>
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<h5 class="gmail-wp-block-heading"><em>Related: <a href="https://www.telesurenglish.net/venezuela-and-china-discuss-regional-security-after-trump-threatens-oil-blockade/">Venezuela and China Discuss Regional Security After Trump Threatens Oil Blockade</a></em></h5>
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<p>Trump\u2019s actions, disregarding the very norms governing international
coexistence, portray him as an omnipotent leader capable of ordering
extraterritorial operations worldwide.</p>
<p>This aggression against Venezuela, a sovereign nation possessing the
largest oil reserves globally, undermines every organism, statute,
convention, and resolution within the United Nations system.</p>
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<p>Here\u2019s a detailed breakdown of how <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gej5ezyypo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump\u2019s imperialist actions against Venezuela</a> contravene international law:</p>
<h3 class="gmail-wp-block-heading gmail-has-vivid-red-color gmail-has-text-color gmail-has-link-color gmail-wp-elements-88863934131dc0f90fb8bf0c63dd8313">Undermining the UN Charter: A Direct Challenge to Sovereignty</h3>
<p>The United Nations Charter stands as the foundational document of
international relations, establishing principles for peaceful
coexistence and respect among sovereign states.</p>
<p>Article 2, in particular, outlines critical tenets that Trump\u2019s policies directly contravene:</p>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Article 2.1: Sovereign Equality of All Members The UN Charter is
based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
Venezuela, as a member state, is entitled to the same respect for its
sovereignty as any other nation.</li><li>The imposition of a naval blockade by the US, a foreign power,
disregards this fundamental principle, treating Venezuela not as an
equal but as a subordinate entity subject to external dictates. This
action fundamentally challenges the notion that all states possess equal
legal standing and are free from external interference in their
internal affairs.</li></ul>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Article 2.3: Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes Members
of the Organization shall settle their international disputes by
peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security,
and justice, are not endangered.</li><li>The US\u2019s declaration of a naval blockade, a hostile and coercive
measure, is a stark deviation from the peaceful resolution of disputes.
It introduces an element of force and intimidation, escalating tensions
rather than seeking diplomatic or mediated solutions, thereby
endangering international peace and security.</li></ul>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Article 2.4: Prohibition of the Threat or Use of Force Members of
the Organization shall refrain in their international relations from the
threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the
Purposes of the United Nations.</li><li>A naval military blockade unequivocally constitutes a threat and use
of force. Its explicit aim to prevent oil exports directly impacts
Venezuela\u2019s economic lifeblood, threatening its political independence
and territorial integrity by dictating its trade and maritime access.</li><li>This action is a clear violation of one of the most sacrosanct
principles of international law, established to prevent aggression and
ensure state autonomy.</li><li>The blockade is not merely an economic sanction but a coercive
military action designed to cripple the nation and force a change in its
political course, a blatant infringement upon its self-determination.</li></ul>
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<h3 class="gmail-wp-block-heading gmail-has-vivid-red-color gmail-has-text-color gmail-has-link-color gmail-wp-elements-c58c524fbe3392f08f9a8f671052c09a">The Right to Self-Determination: A Pillar of Human Rights</h3>
<p>The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
ratified by numerous nations, affirms the inherent right of all peoples
to self-determination.</p>
<p>This right is pivotal for a nation\u2019s development and autonomy.</p>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Article 1.1: Free Determination of Political Status and Development</li><li>All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that
right, they freely determine their political status and freely pursue
their economic, social, and cultural development.</li><li>The US blockade, aimed at disrupting Venezuela\u2019s economic activities
and destabilizing its government, directly impedes the Venezuelan
people\u2019s ability to freely determine their political status and pursue
their economic and social development.</li><li>By targeting the nation\u2019s primary source of income, the blockade
seeks to undermine the existing political order and dictate the terms of
Venezuela\u2019s future, thereby denying its people their fundamental right
to choose their own path without external coercion.</li></ul>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Article 1.2: Free Disposal of Natural Wealth and Resources For the
attainment of their ends, all peoples may freely dispose of their
natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations
arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the
principle of mutual benefit, and international law.</li><li>In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
Venezuela possesses the world\u2019s largest proven oil reserves, which are
its primary natural wealth.</li><li>The naval blockade, designed to prevent the export of this oil,
directly deprives the Venezuelan people of their means of subsistence.</li><li>This act is a severe violation of their economic self-determination,
stripping them of the ability to utilize their resources for national
development and the welfare of their population. It is an economic
warfare tactic that directly threatens the survival and well-being of
millions, contravening the core principle that no people should be
deprived of their essential resources.</li></ul>
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<h3 class="gmail-wp-block-heading gmail-has-vivid-red-color gmail-has-text-color gmail-has-link-color gmail-wp-elements-358a8328478d0189ca6134860a241200">Freedom of the High Seas: A Universal Right</h3>
<p>The 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas establishes the principle
that the high seas are open to all nations, ensuring freedom of
navigation.</p>
<h4 class="gmail-wp-block-heading">Article 2: No State May Subject the High Seas to its Sovereignty </h4>
<p>The high seas being open to all nations, no State may validly purport to subject any part of them to its sovereignty.</p>
<p>The freedom of the high seas is exercised under the conditions laid
down in these articles and by other rules of international law.</p>
<p>It comprises, inter alia, both for coastal and non-coastal States:</p>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>1. Freedom of navigation. By imposing a naval blockade, the US
attempts to exert sovereign control over international waters to prevent
Venezuelan vessels and those trading with Venezuela from navigating
freely.</li></ul>
<p>This action is a direct challenge to the principle of the high seas as a global common, accessible to all. </p>
<p>It represents an illicit extension of power beyond national
jurisdiction, infringing upon the rights of Venezuela and other nations
to engage in legitimate maritime activities without interference.</p>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Article 4: Right to Flag for All States Every State, whether coastal
or not, has the right to sail ships under its flag on the high seas.</li><li>The US blockade directly interferes with Venezuela\u2019s right, and the
right of any vessel flying its flag or doing business with it, to
navigate the high seas.</li><li>This act disrupts international trade, poses a threat to maritime
security, and undermines the established norms of global commerce and
navigation.</li><li>It creates a dangerous precedent where a powerful nation can
unilaterally dictate access to international waters based on political
disagreements, an action that threatens the stability of the entire
maritime legal framework.</li></ul>
<h3 class="gmail-wp-block-heading gmail-has-vivid-red-color gmail-has-text-color gmail-has-link-color gmail-wp-elements-19ad032c4d088a4ede5550ad49ca2052">Permanent Sovereignty Over Natural Resources:</h3>
<p>A Development Imperative UN General Assembly Resolution 1803 (XVII)
of December 14, 1962, titled \u201cPermanent Sovereignty over Natural
Resources,\u201d reaffirms the inalienable right of nations to control and
utilize their natural wealth for national development.</p>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Resolution 1803 (XVII), Paragraph 1:</li></ul>
<h4 class="gmail-wp-block-heading">Exercise of Sovereignty for National Development and Welfare </h4>
<p>The right of peoples and nations to permanent sovereignty over their
natural wealth and resources must be exercised in the interest of their
national development and of the well-being of the people of the State
concerned.</p>
<p>The US naval blockade on Venezuela\u2019s oil exports directly obstructs Venezuela\u2019s ability to exercise this fundamental right.</p>
<p>By preventing the sale of its oil, the US effectively undermines
Venezuela\u2019s national development efforts and directly impacts the
well-being of its population, which relies on oil revenues for essential
services and economic stability.</p>
<p>This is not merely an economic sanction but an attempt to control and
undermine the sovereign management of a nation\u2019s vital resources.</p>
<ul class="gmail-wp-block-list"><li>Resolution 1803 (XVII), Paragraph 7:</li></ul>
<h4 class="gmail-wp-block-heading">Violation of Sovereign Rights and International Cooperation </h4>
<p>The violation of the sovereign rights of peoples and nations over
their natural wealth and resources is contrary to the spirit and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations and hinders the
development of international co-operation and the maintenance of peace.</p>
<p>The blockade represents a clear violation of Venezuela\u2019s sovereign rights over its natural resources.</p>
<p>Such an aggressive act not only contravenes the spirit of the UN
Charter but also significantly impedes international cooperation,
fostering an environment of mistrust and antagonism.</p>
<p>By disrupting Venezuela\u2019s ability to engage in international trade of
its primary resource, the US action directly threatens regional and
global peace, creating economic instability and humanitarian concerns.</p>
<h3 class="gmail-wp-block-heading gmail-has-vivid-red-color gmail-has-text-color gmail-has-link-color gmail-wp-elements-015e118866550665340cfec6c9c60840">Broader Context and Implications</h3>
<p>The Trump administration\u2019s aggressive stance against Venezuela is
part of a broader pattern of applying unilateral coercive measures,
often termed \u201csanctions,\u201d which have been widely criticized for their
extraterritorial reach and their devastating impact on civilian
populations.</p>
<p>These actions are consistently condemned by many international bodies and human rights organizations as collective punishment.</p>
<p>The declaration of a naval military blockade escalates these measures
to an unprecedented level, moving from economic pressure to direct
military coercion.</p>
<p>This imperialistic approach, where one nation presumes the right to
dictate the economic and political future of another, not only erodes
the foundations of international law but also fuels geopolitical
tensions.</p>
<p>It sets a dangerous precedent, demonstrating a disregard for
multilateralism and the principles of state sovereignty,
self-determination, and non-interference that underpin the international
order.</p>
<p>The international community, especially the nations of the Global
South, views these actions with grave concern, recognizing them as an
assault on the fundamental rights of all sovereign nations to pursue
their development free from external meddling.</p>
<p>In summary, the US naval military blockade against Venezuela is not
merely a policy decision but a comprehensive attack on international
legal norms.</p>
<p>It undermines the UN Charter\u2019s principles of sovereign equality and
non-aggression, violates the fundamental human right to
self-determination and access to subsistence, disregards the universally
recognized freedom of navigation on the high seas, and infringes upon
Venezuela\u2019s permanent sovereignty over its natural resources.</p>
<p>These actions, far from promoting stability, serve only to
destabilize the region and threaten the fragile edifice of international
law.</p>
<p>The global community must reaffirm its commitment to these
foundational principles to prevent a return to an era where might makes
right and international law is merely an optional guideline for powerful
nations.</p>
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