Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro warned Tuesday of the risk of a "new Vietnam" after US President Donald Trump ordered a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers leaving or entering Venezuela.
Speaking at the Workers' Class Constituent Assembly in the capital Caracas, Maduro criticized US military activity in the Caribbean and the recent seizure of a Venezuelan-owned oil tanker.
He accused Washington of inventing pretexts to justify escalating pressure on Venezuela, saying the US aims "to create another Libya, Afghanistan or Iraq."
"We do not want a new Vietnam," Maduro said. "Venezuela has been protesting, fighting and defeating this multidimensional aggression for 25 weeks."
He said the US campaign employs tactics ranging from what he described as "psychological terrorism" to "piracy."
"The defense of free trade and peace in the Caribbean and Venezuela is the defense of the entire world," Maduro said, calling on maritime and oil workers worldwide to protest US actions.
Maduro said the US seized a civilian vessel carrying 1.9 million barrels of oil that had been legally purchased from Venezuela.
"We will be millions telling the imperialists that piracy cannot be accepted," he said.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Tuesday that "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America."
"It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before-until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us," he added.
Trump also said his administration had designated the Maduro government a foreign terrorist organization, arguing that the blockade would prevent what he described as financing for drug trafficking, human trafficking and the theft of US assets.
He added that the US is rapidly deporting "illegal aliens and criminals" he said were sent by the Maduro government and demanded Venezuela immediately return "oil, land or any other assets" it has taken.
Oil prices climbed Wednesday, as analysts warned the blockade could disrupt supply.
