Luis Fajardo

There's officials who have told US media that there's an ongoing operation against a third tanker in the Caribbean.

There's media reports saying that the tanker had been en route to Venezuela and that it was not carrying a recognised national flag.

Therefore, it would be, according to these reports, subject to boarding and inspection by US forces.

There's not much more known about it, the specific details.

Apparently, it is an ongoing operation.

Venezuela certainly has been very strongly rejecting these U.S.

operations.

As you said, they have not confirmed either.

They have not commented either on this third apparent action.

But on the action that took place on Saturday, they said that they would be denouncing the action before the U.N.

Security Council.

And overall, they have been saying in very strong terms that they reject these U.S.

actions, which they describe as illegal.

Venezuela has been saying all throughout this crisis that the U.S.

has been engaged in what they describe as, quote-unquote, piracy.

They say that this is not about economics, that there's a bigger political story going on, which, according to the Venezuelan government, is the desire of the U.S.,

to remove the government of Maduro, to provoke political change in Venezuela, and eventually keep Venezuelan oil.

So they suggest this is all part of what they describe as old-fashioned colonialism by the U.S., and they have rejected it in very strong terms.

Venezuela has said in the specific action of the ships being boarded in the Caribbean that they would escort these oil tankers in Venezuelan waters with Venezuelan Navy vessels.

This has not led to a direct confrontation yet.