US: After the US seized an oil ship off the coast of Venezuela, Khamenei accused the of “territorial expansionism” in Latin America
US: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday took a scathing stab at the United States after Washington intensified its pressure campaign against Venezuela and its government, accusing it of pursuing “territorial expansionism” in parts of Latin America while discussing international resistance to pressure from abroad.
Khamenei said in a post on X that “withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance,” noting that these pressures might come in the form of expansionist objectives or efforts to shape social and cultural identity.
“Resistance is the ability to withstand adversary pressure. According to Khamenei’s article, the objective of such pressure may be territorial expansionism, similar to what the US is now undertaking in several Latin American nations, or it could encompass cultural and religious issues or pressure to alter people’s identities and lifestyles.
The comments, which came the day after US President Donald Trump claimed that Washington had captured an oil ship off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, were directed at Washington’s heightened pressure methods over South America, namely Venezuela.
Trump told reporters at the White House, “We recently captured a ship off the coast of Venezuela, as you undoubtedly know. An enormous tanker. Actually, it was the biggest one ever taken.
The ship, called Skipper and formerly known as Adisa, was carrying Venezuelan oil, according to CNN. In 2022, the United States sanctioned it for conducting oil trafficking on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and Hezbollah.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed the tanker’s arrest after Trump’s remark, pointing out that it was carrying “sanctioned oil” from Iran and Venezuela.
“With assistance from the Department of War, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard carried out a seizure order for a crude oil vessel that was transporting sanctioned oil from Iran and Venezuela today. Due to its participation in an illegal oil transportation network that supports international terrorist organizations, the oil tanker has been subject to U.S. sanctions for a number of years. In a post on X, Bondi shared unclassified images of the seizure and said, “This seizure, off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely, and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.”
According to CNN, the operation is a component of a larger US pressure campaign on Venezuela that has included sending hundreds of soldiers and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, focusing on alleged drug shipments, and warning President Maduro repeatedly.