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<div class="entry-content-title-featured-wrap"><div class="gmail-container-wrapper"><div class="gmail-read-details"><div class="entry-header-details gmail-af-cat-widget-carousel"><h1 class="entry-title">Venezuela Strongly Condemns US Threat of Blockade, Gains International Backing</h1><div class="gmail-aft-post-excerpt-and-meta gmail-color-pad"><div class="entry-meta"><span class="gmail-author-links"><span class="gmail-item-metadata gmail-posts-date">
<a href="https://orinocotribune.com/2025/12/">December 18, 2025</a> - </span></span><font size="1"><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/venezuela-mounts-full-state-rejection-to-trumps-blockade-threat-gains-international-backing/">https://orinocotribune.com/venezuela-mounts-full-state-rejection-to-trumps-blockade-threat-gains-international-backing/</a></font><div class="gmail-aft-comment-view-share"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-read-img gmail-pos-rel"><div class="gmail-post-thumbnail gmail-full-width-image">
<img width="430" height="242" src="https://orinocotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/6941fa6f59bf5b7a3e6c38c2-1024x577.webp" class="gmail-attachment-chromenews-featured gmail-size-chromenews-featured gmail-not-transparent gmail-wp-post-image" alt="Oil tankers anchored in Lake Maracaibo after loading crude oil at the Bajo Grande refinery port in Venezuela. Photo: José Bula Urrutia/Gettyimages.ru." style="margin-right: 0px;"></div>
<span class="gmail-aft-image-caption"><p>
Oil tankers anchored in Lake Maracaibo after loading crude oil at the
Bajo Grande refinery port in Venezuela. Photo: José Bula
Urrutia/Gettyimages.ru.</p>
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href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Forinocotribune.com%2Fvenezuela-mounts-full-state-rejection-to-trumps-blockade-threat-gains-international-backing%2F&title=Venezuela%20Strongly%20Condemns%20US%20Threat%20of%20Blockade%2C%20Gains%20International%20Backing"><span class="gmail-a2a_svg gmail-a2a_s__default gmail-a2a_s_a2a" style="background-color:rgb(1,102,255);width:28px;line-height:28px;height:28px;background-size:28px;border-radius:4px"></span></a><div class="gmail-addtoany_share_save_container gmail-addtoany_content gmail-addtoany_content_top"><div class="gmail-a2a_kit gmail-a2a_kit_size_28 gmail-addtoany_list" style="line-height:28px"><a class="gmail-a2a_dd gmail-addtoany_share_save gmail-addtoany_share" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Forinocotribune.com%2Fvenezuela-mounts-full-state-rejection-to-trumps-blockade-threat-gains-international-backing%2F&title=Venezuela%20Strongly%20Condemns%20US%20Threat%20of%20Blockade%2C%20Gains%20International%20Backing"><span class="gmail-a2a_label gmail-a2a_localize">Share</span></a></div></div><p>Caracas (<a href="https://OrinocoTribune.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OrinocoTribune.com</a>)\u2014In
an escalation of the US empire\u2019s ongoing illegal sanctions on
Venezuela, US President Donald Trump has announced a \u201cfull blockade\u201d of
the sovereign nation and its oil tanker fleet. He claimed the measure
would remain in place until Venezuela \u201creturns all the oil, land, and
other assets\u201d he alleged were previously stolen from the US. The
announcement ignited an immediate response from the Venezuelan
government, followed by all state institutions and international allies.</p><p>\u201cVenezuela
is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the
History of South America,\u201d Trump wrote on social media this Tuesday,
December 16, adding that \u201cit will only get bigger, and the shock to them
will be like nothing they have ever seen before.\u201d</p><p>He did not
specify what oil, land, or assets he claims were stolen, nor did he
elaborate on the bizarre claims of the so-called \u201cwar on drugs\u201d argument
that has seemed to take a backseat in recent days; something that
Caracas has consistently condemned as an aggression against its
sovereignty and an attempt to seize its natural resources.</p><p>In his
post online, the US president attacked the Venezuelan government,
labeling it an \u201cillegitimate regime.\u201d He accused it of using \u201coil from
[\u2026] stolen fields to finance narcoterrorism, human trafficking, murder,
and kidnapping,\u201d refusing to provide any evidence for his fictitious
claims. Venezuela has repeatedly proven that the nation has been robbed
of billions of dollars in international bank accounts, two tons of gold
seized by the Bank of England, and the CITGO Corporation. The oil
retailer and refining corporation is owned by PDVSA and valued at more
than $15 billion, with yearly revenue of about $4 billion.</p><div class="gmail-twitter-tweet gmail-twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"></div><p></p><p><strong>Foreign terrorist organization designation</strong><br>
\u201cFor the theft of our assets, and for many other reasons, including
terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking,\u201d continued Trump\u2019s
statement, \u201cthe Venezuelan regime has been designated a foreign
terrorist organization. Therefore, today I am ordering a total and
complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving
Venezuela.\u201d</p><p>The US president also insisted on repeating other
unfounded accusations, such as that Caracas supposedly sent \u201cillegal
immigrants and criminals\u201d into the US. He stated the White House \u201cwill
not allow criminals, terrorists or other countries to steal, threaten or
harm\u201d his country, nor allow \u201ca hostile regime\u201d to seize oil he claims
to somehow be property of the US colonial entity, despite the resources
being located in Venezuelan territory and belonging to the Venezuelan
people.</p><p><strong>\u201cWe will not give up\u201d</strong><br>
Earlier on Tuesday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reiterated that,
despite prolonged and multifaceted US aggression, Venezuela will defeat
\u201cthe oligarchy and imperialism under any circumstances.\u201d</p><p>\u201cFor 25
weeks, Venezuela has been denouncing, confronting, and defeating a
multidimensional campaign of aggression that ranges from psychological
terrorism to the piracy that has plundered our oil, and which has
multiple forms,\u201d he stated in an address to Venezuelan workers. \u201cWhat
has Venezuela demonstrated? [\u2026] That Venezuela is a strong country, that
it has real power. And we have demonstrated that we are prepared to
continue our march. And, what\u2019s more, that we are prepared to accelerate
the march of a profound revolution that will give power to the people,
completely and definitively.\u201d</p><p>Citizens have consistently taken to
the streets to display support for Venezuelan authorities and their
rejection of US imperialism, demonstrating their readiness to resist by
any means, including through the use of force. On December 10, these
protests included the mass condemnation of the seizure of a tanker
carrying Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean Sea, an act denounced by
Caracas that same day at the UN Security Council as an act of piracy.</p><p><strong>Government communique</strong><br>
On Wednesday night, the Venezuelan government <a href="https://x.com/venanalysis/status/2001116534324736114">issued</a>
a statement in response to what many analysts consider a declaration of
war by the US empire, despite the US president neglecting to request
for the congressional approval mandated under US law.</p><p>The
statement reiterates Venezuela\u2019s full sovereignty over its natural
resources, the right to free navigation and free trade, as well as its
adherence to the UN Charter. \u201c[The US\u2019s] true intention,\u201d it adds,
\u201cwhich has been denounced by Venezuela and the people of the US in large
demonstrations, was always to appropriate the country\u2019s oil, land, and
minerals through gigantic campaigns of lies and manipulation.\u201d</p><p>Below, you can read the full unofficial translation of the Venezuelan government\u2019s statement:</p><p style="padding-left:40px"><strong><em>A united Venezuela rejects Trump\u2019s grotesque threat and will condemn it</em></strong><br>
<em>On the night of December 16, 2025, the President of the United
States, Donald Trump, violating International Law, free trade, and free
navigation, has launched a reckless and serious threat against the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>On
his social media, he assumes that Venezuela\u2019s oil, land, and mineral
wealth are his property. Consequently, he claims that Venezuela must
hand over all its riches to him immediately. The President of the United
States is attempting to impose a supposed naval and military blockade
on Venezuela in an utterly irrational manner, with the aim of stealing
the wealth that belongs to our nation.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>Venezuela,
in full exercise of the International Law that protects us, our
Constitution, and the laws of the Republic, reaffirms its sovereignty
over all its natural resources, as well as its right to free navigation
and free trade in the Caribbean Sea and the world\u2019s oceans.
Consequently, it will proceed, in strict adherence to the UN Charter, to
fully exercise its freedom, jurisdiction, and sovereignty in the face
of these warmongering threats.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>Our Ambassador to the UN will immediately denounce this serious violation of International Law against Venezuela.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>We
call upon the people of the United States and the peoples of the world
to reject by all means this extravagant threat, which once again reveals
Donald Trump\u2019s true intentions to steal the riches of the country that
gave birth to the United Liberation Army of South America and to our
Liberator, Simón Bolívar. The people of Venezuela, in perfect popular,
military, and police unity, will know how to defend their historical
rights and triumph through peace.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>Mr.
Donald Trump explicitly stated the following interventionist and
colonialist expression: \u201cuntil all the oil, land, and other assets that
were previously stolen from us are returned to the United States.\u201d His
true intention, which has been denounced by Venezuela and the people of
the United States in massive demonstrations, has always been to seize
the country\u2019s oil, land, and minerals through gigantic campaigns of lies
and manipulation.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>Venezuela
will never again be a colony of any empire or foreign power and will
continue to walk, together with its people, the path of building
prosperity and the unrestricted defense of our independence and
sovereignty.</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>The Venezuelan
people, in perfect popular, military, and police unity, remain steadfast
in the unrestricted protection of their territory, their resources, and
their freedom. With our Liberator, we say: \u201cFortunately, a handful of
free men have defeated powerful empires.\u201d</em></p><p style="padding-left:40px"><em>Caracas, December 16, 2025.</em></p><p><strong>Comprehensive state response</strong><br>
On Wednesday, the first institution to <a href="https://x.com/camilapress/status/2001315941645242670" target="_blank" rel="noopener">respond</a>
to the threat was the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB).
Venezuela\u2019s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, together with the FANB\u2019s
High Command, stated it would preserve at all costs the nation\u2019s
territorial integrity, its legitimate rights over airspace and maritime
areas, and sovereignty, independence, and peace that the nation holds
dear.</p><p>\u201cWe can say that Venezuela has scored a victory in the face
of truth; the truth has been revealed,\u201d the military commander warned.
\u201cIt is now through force, no longer through sanctions, unilateral
coercive measures, political, diplomatic, and media isolation,
psychological terrorism; force and violence have been used, and those
who resort to them are lost.\u201d</p><p>He emphasized that Washington\u2019s \u201cwar
on drugs\u201d narrative \u201chas fallen apart in the eyes of international
public opinion,\u201d and that US imperialism is blatant in its desire for
Venezuela\u2019s natural resources. Furthermore, he rejected Trump\u2019s
accusations that Venezuela stole any assets of the US, claiming the true
intentions of the empire \u201care nothing other than to force regime change
in our country and grossly seize its oil and other strategic natural
resources.\u201d</p><p>Almost simultaneously, PDVSA <a href="https://t.me/DrodriguezVen/12857" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a>
a statement reporting that oil export operations are continuing as
scheduled. \u201cThe export operations of Venezuelan crude oil and
derivatives continue despite the attempted illegal and illegitimate
blockade, through secure schemes and full guarantees,\u201d reported Delcy
Rodríguez, head of PDVSA and the vice president of Venezuela.</p><p>\u201cOil
tankers linked to PDVSA operations continue to sail with full
assurance, technical support, and operational guarantees, in the
legitimate exercise of the rights to free navigation and free trade,
widely recognized and protected by international law,\u201d the statement
reads, reiterating that PDVSA has remained active despite all of the US
attacks it has endured.</p><p>Minutes later, the Moral Republican
Council\u2014formed by the Prosecutor\u2019s Office, Comptroller\u2019s Office, and
Ombudsman\u2019s Office, one of the five branches of the Venezuelan
state\u2014made a televised statement <a href="https://x.com/lubrio/status/2001316711526494713" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressing</a>
its support for President Maduro in all measures he decides to take to
safeguard Venezuela\u2019s rights and sovereignty, describing Trump\u2019s action
as a brutal escalation.</p><p>The Moral Council made a \u201ccall to the
people of the US and the peoples of the world to reject by all means
this aberrant threat that reveals the true intentions of the US
government to steal the resources of our country and our continent.\u201d</p><p>In the afternoon, the National Assembly unanimously <a href="https://x.com/Asamblea_Ven/status/2001351028458033581" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a>
a resolution repudiating the US president\u2019s announcement. The
parliament agreed to defend \u201cthe full and inalienable sovereignty of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela over all its territory,\u201d including its
natural resources, emphasizing that they are \u201cinviolable, inalienable,
and under the absolute ownership and control of [Venezuela].\u201d</p><p>The
deputies called \u201cupon the Venezuelan people to remain on alert and
permanently mobilized in perfect popular, military, and police unity for
the unrestricted defense of the historical rights of the homeland, thus
ensuring peace and territorial integrity against any threat that seeks
to disturb\u201d Venezuela\u2019s independence.</p><p>The peoples and governments
of the world were also urged to \u201creject by all means this extravagant
threat that undermines global peace and reveals US true intentions of
plunder.\u201d</p><p>Venezuela\u2019s judicial branch <a href="https://x.com/teleSURtv/status/2001363271379726632" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined</a>
in rejecting the US actions, as confirmed by the president of the
Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), Caryslia Rodríguez. After reading an
official statement, Rodríguez added that the imposition of a \u201cnaval
blockade\u201d constitutes an attack on sovereignty and a new violation of
Venezuela\u2019s constitution and international law.</p><p>\u201cToday, we condemn
[the US] and call for a united effort to restore and maintain ethical
and legal values as instruments of peace, sovereignty, and equality
among the peoples of the world,\u201d Rodríguez stated. She explained that
the TSJ supports the ratification of Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty over its
natural resources and its right to free navigation and free trade.</p><p></p><p><strong>Local and international reaction</strong><br>
Chavista forces and leaders rejected the Trump announcement across
social media, accompanied by public statements from far-right
politicians who are not sympathizers of President Maduro or Chavismo,
such as <a href="https://x.com/adbernabe/status/2001131016056897656" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bernabe Gutierrez</a>, <a href="https://x.com/ehochoa_antich/status/2001289884363862128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enrique Ochoa Antich</a>, and <a href="https://x.com/HenriFalconLara/status/2001292328573542546" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Henry Falcon</a>, among others.</p><p>Latin
American presidents and international allies have also expressed full
support for Venezuela against what many consider to be an act of war
that violates the UN Charter.</p><p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov <a href="https://x.com/SputnikMundo/status/2001325964211474819" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed</a> deep concern over the belligerent US statements and over Europe\u2019s silence on the matter. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum <a href="https://x.com/telesurenglish/status/2001315085914972277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reiterated</a>
México\u2019s historic position against foreign interventions and demanded
the United Nations assume its due role as an international peacekeeping
body to \u201cavoid a bloodshed.\u201d</p><p>Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had already <a href="https://x.com/DiazCanelB/status/2001114927105208777" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed</a> Cuba\u2019s strong condemnation of a US naval blockade and its support for Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution.</p><p>Iran also <a href="https://x.com/IRIMFA_EN/status/2001368357543559276" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a>
a communiqué strongly rejecting the US threats. \u201cThe US interference
with, as well as its seizure and obstruction of, the free passage of
commercial vessels to or from Venezuela constitutes a clear case of
state piracy and armed robbery at sea,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cInvoking
US domestic laws and unilateral, illegal sanctions to justify these
actions cannot, in any way, serve as a basis to legitimize such criminal
acts.\u201d</p><p>China <a href="https://x.com/SprinterPress/status/2001403595627893245" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>
that its minister for foreign affairs, Wang Yi, had a phone
conversation with his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil, expressing
opposition to the US empire\u2019s unilateral bullying.</p><p>Even the German
government expressed concern over Trump\u2019s threats, warning of risks to
regional peace and stability, as stated by spokesman for the German
Foreign Ministry, Martin Giese. \u201cThe German government has an interest
in preventing the situation in the region from deteriorating further,\u201d
he said during a press conference. \u201cTherefore, we view the overall
situation with concern. Of course, international law must be respected.\u201d</p><p>The
Venezuelan government announced on Wednesday night that President
Maduro held a phone conversation with UN Secretary General António
Guterres, in order to warn him about the growing escalation of US
threats and their possible implications for regional peace. The head of
state explained that Trump\u2019s claims were supported by senior US official
Stephen Miller, who said the Venezuelan oil industry was also to be
owned by the US regime, which marks a direct colonial threat to
Venezuela\u2019s sovereignty and international law.</p><p> </p><p>Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff</p>
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