“The colonialist model that the U.S. government seeks to impose through such practices will fail and be defeated by the Venezuelan people,” the statement added.
Economic impact and broader enforcement strategy
Despite concerns about energy markets, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett downplayed potential fallout. Speaking on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan, Hassett said the seized ships were operating on the black market. “I don’t think that people need to be worried here in the U.S. that the prices are going to go up,” he said. “There’s just a couple of them, and they were black market ships.”
(Program site: https://www.cbsnews.com/face-the-nation)
The targeting of Venezuelan oil tankers also coincides with a broader Trump Administration directive ordering the Defense Department to strike vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific accused of smuggling fentanyl and other illicit drugs. U.S. officials say at least 104 people have been killed in 28 known strikes since early September, underscoring the administration’s increasingly aggressive maritime enforcement posture.
