Guterres reaffirms need to exert restraint and de-escalate tensions in Caribbean region
UN chief, Venezuelan president had phone conversation after US oil blockade and discussed ongoing regional tensions
NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres held a telephone conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro amid rising tensions following a recent U.S. decision to impose what it described as a “total blockade” on Venezuelan oil tankers.
“The UN Secretary-General has received a phone call from H.E. Nicolás Maduro Moros, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, regarding the current tensions in the region,” Guterres’ office said in a statement.
The statement noted that during the call, Guterres reaffirmed the United Nations’ position on the need for all member states to respect international law, particularly the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. He stressed the importance of exerting restraint and de-escalating tensions in order to preserve regional stability.
Earlier, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Guterres “calls for restraint and for the immediate de-escalation of the situation.”
The call followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Monday that he had ordered a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned vessels entering or leaving Venezuela. The decision comes as the United States has built up military forces off Venezuela’s northern Caribbean coast.
Caracas condemned the move as “grotesque,” accusing Trump of attempting to seize Venezuela’s natural resources. In a government statement, Venezuelan officials alleged that Trump “assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property.”
Over the past four months, U.S. forces have maintained an expanding military presence in the Caribbean, carrying out strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking. Trump has also suggested that US forces could soon conduct land strikes on Venezuelan territory.
Tensions escalated further earlier this month when U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, an action Caracas denounced as “international piracy.”
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