‘Get out, thief. Your mask has fallen’: Maduro denounces US for targeting Venezuela’s oil
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denounced the United States for using allegations of drug trafficking as a pretext to seize his country’s natural resources, particularly oil.
The Venezuelan chief executive’s Friday remarks came days after US President Donald Trump announced seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump had said, “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening.” “It's going to be starting on land pretty soon,” he had added without elaborating on the specifics of the operation.
In response, Maduro declared, “The mask has fallen,” asserting that the true motive behind US actions is Venezuela’s oil.
“The issue is not drug trafficking. It’s the oil they want to steal,” he said, adding that imperialist powers were after Venezuela’s crude, asphalt, and gas reserves.
Addressing the United States directly, he said, “Thief, get out of here.”
Maduro also reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to defending its sovereignty and natural resources, praising the resilience of the Venezuelan people as “brave, innovative, and pioneering,” and vowed that the country would never surrender.
“No to war for oil. No to bloodshed for oil,” he said.
Caracas has condemned the seizure of the tanker as an act as “international piracy.”
Venezuela condemns US seizure of oil tanker
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) December 12, 2025
Gladys Quesada reports from Caracas.
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Observers in the region have also highlighted the central role of oil in US-Venezuelan tensions.
Late last month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro told CNN that Washington’s pressure campaign appeared to be motivated by access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves rather than concerns over “drug trafficking.”
“[Oil] is at the heart of the matter,” Petro said, noting that Venezuela possessed some of the world’s largest crude reserves. He added that Venezuela was not considered to be a major drug producer and only a small portion of global drug flows passed through the country, casting further doubt on the drug-related rationale cited by Washington.
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