18 December 2025, Berlin, Germany
The International Peace Bureau (IPB) firmly condemns the continued escalation of the US military in the Caribbean against Venezuela, in particular the recently announced “total and complete blockade” of oil tankers leaving and entering the country which is an act of war. Following the recent seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker, the Trump administration in the US has laid bare their true intentions in the region, which consistently undermine international law and human rights in the interest of US imperialism and domination.
In addition to the ongoing illegal strikes on alleged drug vessels – with eight more extrajudicial killings at the start of this week alone – the US seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker is yet another illegal provocation against Venezuela which escalates military tensions while revealing the larger intentions behind Trump’s actions; namely, imperialism, regime change, and domination. The Trump administration’s true intentions are no longer hidden – as revealed in the newest US National Security Strategy which outlines the “Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine”, focused on dominance of the Western Hemisphere including through military means. These actions are an attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and threaten peace across the entire Americas. In particular, Venezuelan oil is one of the few remaining lifelines for Cuba, which has endured 65 years of illegal US blockade – an intentional move by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for regime change in Cuba.
The IPB recalls the propaganda and lies propagated two decades ago to justify the illegal US invasion of Iraq – tactics that are now repeated against Venezuela. Without strong resistance against the US, the consequences in Venezuela and across Latin America will repeat and cost countless innocent lives.
The IPB calls for an immediate halt to US military provocations in the Caribbean, for the mobilization of US demonstrations against war with Venezuela and for international solidarity with Venezuela. The US must base its relations with its American neighbors on a shared sense of security, cooperation, and mutual respect, not through military action, coercion and violations of international law. Disagreements must be resolved nonviolently through diplomacy and dialogue. The IPB further calls on the Trump administration to end its unilateral sanctions against Venezuela and Cuba and engage in dialogue for peace in the Western Hemisphere.
No war with Venezuela! No blood for oil! No new Monroe Doctrine and no new imperialism!