UN Experts Say U.S. Naval Blockade of Venezuela Amounts to an 'Armed Attack'

United Nations human rights experts have said that the United States' naval blockade of Venezuela and related military actions amount to an "armed attack" under international law, sharply criticizing Washington's escalating pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro's regime.

Since August, the United States has deployed a significant military force in the Caribbean, officially claiming it aims to combat drug trafficking, and has carried out strikes on vessels it says were transporting narcotics in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, which have resulted in at least 105 deaths. President Donald Trump has also recently ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, with at least two vessels confiscated.

In a statement reported by France 24, independent experts mandated by the UN Human Rights Council said there is "no right to impose unilateral sanctions through an armed blockade" adding that the use of force involved is "explicitly recognized as illegal armed aggression" under the UN General Assembly's 1974 Definition of Aggression.

"Therefore, it constitutes an armed attack under Article 51 of the UN Charter," the experts said, adding that such a determination would, in principle, give the targeted state the right to self-defense. The experts stressed they do not speak on behalf of the United Nations as an institution.

The experts also condemned U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats, noting that Washington has not publicly presented evidence that the vessels were carrying narcotics. "According to reports, none of the people killed posed an immediate threat that would justify the use of lethal force," they said, calling the deaths violations of the right to life and urging investigations and accountability.

They also said the U.S. Congress should intervene to prevent further attacks and lift the blockade.

Venezuela denies involvement in drug trafficking and says the U.S. actions are aimed at toppling Maduro to gain control over the country's oil reserves. Addressing the UN Security Council last week, Venezuela's ambassador, Samuel Moncada, said the country was "facing a power that acts outside international law, demanding that Venezuelans abandon our country and hand it over."

The comments build on earlier warnings from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who in December said that even though Venezuela's human rights situation had deteriorated amid growing militarization and arbitrary detentions, escalating external pressure risked leaving civilians "caught in the crossfire." In October, Türk's office called U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats "unacceptable" and said they violate international human rights law, urging Washington to halt the attacks.

Trump has publicly accused Maduro of leading a drug trafficking network and authorized planning for potential operations inside Venezuela, while the White House has said the president is prepared to use "every element of American power" to stop drug flows into the United States.