Venezuelan navy escorts oil tankers in direct challenge to Trump blockade
Venezuela hits back at Trump as oil tankers are escorted to Asia
- Venezuela's navy has escorted commercial oil tankers to Asia, directly defying a US military blockade targeting the country's oil industry.
- President Nicolas Maduro ordered the naval escorts for three ships carrying oil-based products, with the US acknowledging the action and considering its response.
- Tensions have escalated following US military strikes in the Caribbean, which have killed at least 97 people, leading the UN and legal experts to warn of potential "extrajudicial killings".
- Donald Trump's administration ordered a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers and demanded the return of oil he claimed belonged to America.
- The US has an unprecedented military build-up in the Caribbean, stoking fears of intervention to oust Maduro, who accuses the US of fabricating war to exploit Venezuela's vast oil reserves.