The US military's seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela violates that country's right to trade in its natural resources, including supplying hydrocarbons to Cuba, the Caribbean republic's foreign ministry said.
"This move is part of an escalation by the United States to prevent Venezuela from exercising its legal right to freely operate and trade with other countries, including in the supply of hydrocarbons to Cuba," the statement said.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that "this act of piracy and maritime terrorism is a serious violation of international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Combating Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation."
"The United States government bears responsibility for the commission of these crimes, which harm the international community as a whole," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said.
