Maduro: US wants to seize Venezuelan oil by lethal military force

CARACAS, Venezuela (MNTV) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called on OPEC and its member states to oppose what he described as escalating U.S. aggression, claiming that Washington aims to seize the country’s vast oil reserves through military force.

In a letter sent to OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais and member countries—shared by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil—Maduro said Venezuela will “remain firm” in defending its natural resources.

The letter followed Trump’s warning on Saturday that Venezuelan airspace would be “completely shut down,” which Caracas denounced as requiring “unconditional respect.”

Maduro accused the United States of seeking to take Venezuela’s oil reserves through “lethal military force” directed at its territory, people, and institutions. He warned the alleged intentions violate principles of peaceful coexistence and threaten both Venezuelan oil production and the broader energy market.

He said the world is “well aware” of the destruction caused by “military interventions by the United States of America and its allies” in other oil-producing countries.

Venezuela, he stressed, will not “succumb to any type of blackmail or threat.”

Maduro urged OPEC members to work collectively to halt the “aggression,” warning that it endangers global energy stability for both producers and consumers.

The standoff comes amid months of U.S. military expansion across Latin America, including deployments of Marines, warships, fighter jets, bombers, submarines, and drones.

Trump has warned the U.S. will “very soon” take action on land against Venezuelan drug traffickers, following 21 sea-based operations that killed at least 83 people since September.