US tanker Raid Sparks Venezuela Piracy Claims

Venezuela has accused the United States of international piracy after armed US troops stormed and seized a large oil tanker off its coast in a helicopter raid. Washington says the vessel, the Skipper, was tied to a sanctioned oil smuggling network.

Caracas claims the seizure amounts to theft of national resources and an attack on its sovereignty. The operation is part of the US Southern Spear campaign in Caribbean waters.