Critics compare offensive to Iraq war, citing familiar mix of regime-change rhetoric, security pretexts and oil interests
Donald Trump’s recent claims that the US should keep Venezuelan oil from seized tankers are part of a broader belief in rightwing “resource imperialism”, experts say.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has escalated pressure on Venezuela, invoking drug-trafficking claims. This month, the US intercepted two tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and began pursuing a third, while intensifying its campaign against the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Critics have compared the offensive to the Iraq war, citing a familiar mix of regime-change rhetoric, security pretexts and oil interests. This month, the Trump administration labeled fentanyl – which it says flows from Venezuela – a “weapon of mass destruction”.
On Monday, Trump suggested oil seized from Venezuela could be treated as a US asset. “Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it,” he told reporters. “Maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserves. We’re keeping the ships also.”
