Venezuela has launched a fierce diplomatic counteroffensive against the United States following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive naval blockade targeting sanctioned oil tankers operating in Venezuelan waters. The dramatic escalation in tensions between the two nations unfolded through competing declarations on December 16th.\n\nPresident Trump utilized his Truth Social platform at 7:46 PM to declare unprecedented maritime restrictions, framing them as necessary to reclaim what he characterized as stolen American assets. \”The US will not allow criminals, terrorists, or other countries to rob, threaten, or harm the nation,\” Trump asserted, specifically accusing the Maduro regime of utilizing \”stolen oil fields\” to finance activities including \”drug terrorism, human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping.\”\n\nIn response, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez issued a comprehensive two-page rebuttal via Telegram at 11:10 PM, vehemently rejecting what she termed Trump’s \”grotesque threat\” and \”interventionist and colonialist statement.\” The official communication accused the American president of violating fundamental principles of international law, free trade, and maritime navigation.\n\nThe Venezuelan government’s statement presented Trump’s social media claims as effectively asserting ownership over Venezuela’s natural resources: \”He claims on his social media that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property. Consequently, Venezuela must immediately hand over all its riches.\”\n\nCaracas announced its intention to pursue immediate diplomatic recourse through the United Nations, with plans to formally denounce what it considers a grave breach of international legal standards. The statement called upon both the American public and global community to reject Trump’s \”extravagant threat by any means necessary.\”\n\nReaffirming Venezuela’s sovereign rights, the communication emphasized the nation’s commitment to \”free navigation and trade in the Caribbean Sea and the world’s oceans\” under international law and the UN Charter. The government positioned itself as defending national independence against what it characterized as attempted economic appropriation through \”gigantic campaigns of lies and manipulation.\”\n\nThe statement concluded with historical resonance, invoking liberator Simón Bolívar: \”Fortunately, a handful of free men has been seen defeating powerful empires.\” This rhetorical flourish underscored Venezuela’s declaration that it \”will never again be a colony of any empire or foreign power.\”\n\nTrump’s announcement referenced an imposing naval presence surrounding Venezuela—\”the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America\”—promising it would \”only get bigger\” until Venezuelan authorities returned allegedly stolen assets.\n\nThe exchange represents one of the most significant confrontations in recent years between the two nations, with potentially substantial implications for global energy markets and regional stability in the Caribbean basin.