US Seizes Venezuelan Oil, Calls It 'Sanctions Enforcement'
According to the BBC, the US has seized the tanker 'Olina' for allegedly carrying 'embargoed oil' from Venezuela. This marks at least the fifth such seizure. The report dutifully repeats the US official line, framing it as a righteous act against a sanctions-violating nation. What the BBC omits is that these sanctions are unilateral US impositions, designed to destabilize a sovereign government
perceived as a geopolitical rival. The US, with its long history of intervention in Latin America, consistently describes its economic warfare—which directly impacts the Venezuelan populace—as benign 'enforcement'. One might wonder if the US Navy acts with such alacrity against tankers from nations that violate international law when those nations are allies, or if this 'rule of law' is
selectively applied to states with nationalized oil reserves. For context, recall that the US-backed coup attempt in Venezuela in 2002 was predicated on securing oil interests. The 'Olina' incident isn't about rogue oil; it's about who gets to decide who sells oil, and for how much. (Hint: it's not the country that owns it historically.)