BOGOTA, Colombia
Venezuela has presented a formal letter to the UN Security Council that accused the US of "maritime piracy" following the seizure of a Venezuelan oil shipment in international waters.
The government of President Nicolas Maduro alleges that US military units "forcibly boarded a private vessel on the high seas, subdued and kidnapped its crew, and illegally seized a shipment of Venezuelan oil."
Caracas said the oil was part of a "regular commercial operation that was legitimate and fully compliant with international law."
In the letter addressed to Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, the president of the Security Council, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil stressed that the incident was "not an isolated event," but part of a "sustained policy of coercion and aggression" by the US, enforced through "unilateral, illegal, and illegitimate coercive measures."
The letter references Article 101 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which defines piracy, arguing the US action was a "flagrant violation" of the legal regime protecting freedom of navigation and lawful international trade.
Caracas demanded that the US immediately release the detained crew, return the confiscated oil and cease any interference with its legitimate trade. It also urged the Security Council to publicly condemn the act, take measures to preserve the safety of navigation and prevent "piracy from becoming established as an instrument of political coercion."
It also requested written confirmation from the Security Council that no resolution exists authorizing such actions against Venezuela or its oil trade.
The seizure was the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries, amid a major US pressure campaign against Venezuela that includes extensive military deployments in the Caribbean.
The US has justified the seizure, saying that vessels are used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran in an "illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations."