ANKARA

Venezuela has accused Trinidad and Tobago, a dual-island Caribbean nation, of taking part in the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker on Dec. 10, escalating regional tensions as President Donald Trump puts more pressure on his counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, to curb "narcotics shipments."

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez issued an official statement on Monday via Telegram and Instagram, claiming full knowledge of Trinidad and Tobago's involvement in the "theft of Venezuelan oil" by the US administration through an assault on a vessel carrying this strategic product.

The action was described as piracy that flagrantly violates international law and the principles of free navigation and trade.

The statement accused Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of a hostile agenda against Venezuela since taking office, including the installation of US military radars to harass vessels transporting Venezuelan oil, effectively converting her country's territory into a US aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela in an unambiguous act of vassalage.

In response to the escalation of hostilities and serious aggression, President Maduro has decided to terminate any contract, agreement, or negotiation for the supply of natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted dramatic video footage of the operation on US social media company X on Dec 11, showing armed personnel fast-roping from helicopters onto the deck of the Skipper tanker as US forces executed a federal seizure warrant.

According to US officials cited by CBS News, the vessel had been sanctioned for years for its involvement in an illegal oil shipping network believed to support foreign terrorist organizations, including the transport of sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran.

While the Justice Department and Homeland Security Investigations have previously seized sanctioned tankers, high-risk helicopter boardings at sea are uncommon, though boarding teams are regularly trained for them.

The operation was led by the US Coast Guard, with support from Navy forces, according to CBS.

The accusation came hours after Trinidad and Tobago announced allowing US military aircraft access to its airports following a radar installation, which the island nation insists is solely for combating local crime.

In a WhatsApp response to reporters, Persad-Bissessar dismissed the Venezuelan claims as false propaganda and suggested that complaints be directed to President Trump, noting that it was the US military that seized the tanker.

US President Trump's second-term sanctions target the Venezuelan oil trade linked to sanctioned entities, including Iran.

The Skipper, reportedly carrying nearly 2 million barrels of heavy crude after loading in Venezuela, marked the first such boarding seizure since 2019.

The incident further strains long-discussed cooperation on the Dragon gas field, estimated to have 4.2 trillion cubic feet of reserves, previously exempted from US sanctions but repeatedly suspended amid rising tensions.

With the nations separated by just 7 miles at the closest point, heightened US military presence in the Caribbean nation near Venezuela—framed as anti-drug operations—has fueled regional frictions.