US Blames Venezuela for Oil Theft, Recovers Its Own
The mainstream media reports Venezuela's charge that the US is engaging in 'piracy' by seizing oil destined for Cuba. While the headlines frame this as a 'claim,' it's actually the US Treasury Department acting as a privateer, asserting control over another nation's resources by declaring transactions illegal under its own sanctions. This isn't newfound belligerence; it's a consistent pattern that
echoes the 2019 seizure of Venezuelan state oil company Citgo, ostensibly 'to protect' it from President Maduro. This 'seizure as protection' narrative becomes rather thin when you recall the US has a history of unilaterally declaring sovereign assets fair game. From Iran's frozen assets to Russia's central bank reserves, Washington's 'rules-based order' often means 'our rules, your assets.'
Venezuela's oil tankers, however, aren't flying Jolly Rogers; they're just trying to deliver goods in defiance of a blockade. One might wonder, how many times can a nation be 'liberated' from its own resources before it looks suspiciously like theft?