Mexico urges the UN to act to prevent a "bloodbath" between the US and Venezuela

BarcelonaThe escalating tension between the United States and Venezuela is beginning to cause concern in Latin America. This has led Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to offer her assistance as a mediator between the two countries on Wednesday, should they request it. Before taking this step, however, Sheinbaum emphasized that the UN must "assume its role" and act to prevent "bloodshed." So far, the United Nations has not intervened in the escalating tensions and the Trump administration's attacks on alleged drug traffickers' boats. The Mexican president alluded to this with a serious gesture: "[The UN] has been nowhere to be seen." Sheinbaum's remarks come after Trump ordered a "total blockade" of oil tankers unilaterally sanctioned by the US, preventing them from entering or leaving Venezuela, and amidst threats from the US president against Maduro and increased Washington interventionism in Latin America.

"Beyond opinions about the Venezuelan regime, about Maduro's presidency," Sheinbaum said, "Mexico's position must always be no to intervention, no to foreign interference, a peaceful solution." From the National Palace in Mexico City, the country's president called on the United Nations to "assume its role in preventing any bloodshed" and to use "dialogue and peace, not intervention," in the face of any "international controversy."

In this way, Mexico is raising its voice in the face of the escalating conflict. Sheinbaum had already appealed on several occasions to the "self-determination of peoples," as she stated this Wednesday. However, until now she had said it in reference to Trump's threats of military intervention in Mexico, which are challenging the country with military movements beyond its borders. This Wednesday marks the first time Sheinbaum has expressed it in reference to the US conflict with Venezuela.

The latest US move

On Tuesday, in a new move by Trump against Venezuela, the US president ordered "a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela," which Caracas considered a "grotesque threat." This represents a significant escalation of the military operation he has launched in international waters of the Caribbean under the pretext of combating drug trafficking organizations operating in the region. On Tuesday, a new attack in the Pacific targeted three vessels It left 9 dead, bringing the total number of victims in the campaign that Washington began in September to 95.

In this sense, Trump has been intensifying his attacks on Maduro, and also on other Latin American leaders, for months now, increasing interventionism on the continent. The Venezuelan leader has become increasingly isolated, and the US has intensified its psychological warfare against him in recent months. Beyond verbal attacks and threats, they doubled the reward for information leading to his capture—from $25 million to $50 million—and also declared the Cartel of the Suns a terrorist organization, among other actions. Given the escalating tension between the two countries, Trump and Maduro even spoke on the phone.But the talks yielded no results—at least publicly—and the US president subsequently threatened a ground intervention.

The precedent of the seized oil tanker

Last week, the U.S. Southern Command, which since August has attacked more than 30 vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, shifted its operations in international waters. He seized the oil tanker Skipper, A tanker carrying Venezuelan crude oil was intercepted by US forces in the Caribbean near the coast of the South American country under a court order. The vessel, sanctioned by Washington since 2022 for its links to a "shadow fleet" of crude oil carriers and accused of violating sanctions, was taken to a US port to begin legal proceedings to seize its cargo. The move, considered a significant escalation of pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has further strained relations between the two countries and contributed to a drop in Venezuelan crude shipments. Trump has also threatened further seizures of sanctioned tankers in nearby waters. The latest escalation of the US military operation comes amid an increased military presence in the Caribbean and has been denounced by Caracas as "piracy," while the White House has defended the seizure of the first sanctioned oil tanker as part of its policy of sanctions and control of related assets.