Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro said the country will continue trading oil despite the U.S.'s recent blockade of sanctioned tankers, adding that President Donald Trump won't achieve his goal of regime change.
"Trade in and out will continue. Our oil and all our natural wealth that by the constitution and Bolivar's legacy belongs to its only legitimate owner, which for centuries and centuries has been our sovereign people of Venezuela," Maduro said on Wednesday.
He went on to defy Trump's "intention" of toppling him, saying: "This will just not happen, never, never, never, Venezuela will never be a colony of anything or anyone, never."
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Maduro ordered his navy to escort ships carrying petroleum products from port to ensure they made it to their destination.
However, none of the vessels were on the list of sanctioned tankers the U.S. had threatened to target. A U.S. official told the outlet that Washington was aware of the move and considering different courses of action.
Even if those vessels aren't targeted, U.S. forces could go into Venezuelan waters to seize more oil tankers, according to a report.
Forces are currently waiting for the vessels to leave the waters to seize them, but they could go in if they delay much, a Trump official told Axios on Tuesday.
The outlet noted that as many as 18 sanctioned ships are in Venezuela's waters, with eight being classified as "Very Large Cargo Container ships," which can carry almost 2 million barrels, the outlet added.
The official said if tankers leave Venezuelan waters the Trump administration will "go to court, get a warrant and then get them." However, if they "make us wait too long, we might get a warrant to get them there," the official added.
Overall, there are as many as 11 million barrels in 39 tankers, the outlet said, quoting Samir Madani, co-founder of the firm Tanker Trackers, and Reuters.
The Guardian reported that the South American country's oil exports have plummeted after the seizure last week.
Since the seizure, the outlet claimed, only tankers chartered by U.S. oil company Chevron have sailed through the region carrying Venezuelan crude.
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