Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro issued a stark warning on Wednesday, urging his nation to brace themselves “like warriors” to confront the “North American empire” amidst rising tensions following the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela’s shores.

Maduro’s defiant remarks came during a rally where he brandished the sword of Simón Bolívar, a symbol of Venezuelan independence. The event, which featured him singing and dancing to Bobby McFerrin’s 1980s hit “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” underscored his call for vigilance among Venezuelans as relations with the United States grow increasingly strained.

“In these challenging times, we must remain vigilant and resilient,” Maduro declared, according to a translated statement. “We must work tirelessly, produce, and maintain our progress while being prepared to defend ourselves against the North American empire from Bolívar’s land, if necessary.”

This confrontation escalated as U.S. President Donald Trump announced the seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast. The vessel was reportedly transporting oil in violation of sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

In response, Maduro accused the United States of piracy, further intensifying the standoff as diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington deteriorate.

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry condemned the move in an official statement, calling it “a brazen robbery and an act of international piracy” and accusing Trump of openly pursuing a plan to “take Venezuelan oil without paying anything in return.”

The ministry said the action fits into what it described as a longstanding U.S. effort to plunder the country’s natural resources and compared the episode to the loss of Citgo Petroleum Corp., which Caracas claims was seized through “fraudulent judicial mechanisms.”

The statement argued that “the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela” have nothing to do with migration, drug trafficking, democracy, or human rights, insisting “it has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy.”

Maduro issues a fierce warning after the U.S. seizes a tanker near Venezuela, triggering accusations of piracy and intensifying a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)

It also accused Washington of using the tanker incident to distract from what it described as the failure of political efforts in Oslo by groups seeking Maduro’s removal.

Caracas urged Venezuelans to “remain firm in defense of the homeland” and called on the international community to reject what it described as “vandalistic, illegal and unprecedented aggression.”

The government said it will take its complaint to all available international bodies and vowed to protect the country’s sovereignty and control over its energy assets, declaring that “Venezuela will not allow any foreign power to attempt to seize from the Venezuelan people what belongs to them by historical and constitutional right.”

Maduro issued a warning after the U.S. seized a tanker near Venezuela, triggering accusations of piracy and intensifying a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)

Tensions between the two countries have grown following months of U.S. maritime strikes that Washington says targeted vessels used by drug traffickers to transport narcotics.

Reuters has reported that more than 80 people have been killed since September, and a separate Reuters report detailed heightened surveillance and security crackdowns in coastal communities affected by the strikes.

Late last month, Maduro appeared at a mass rally in Caracas holding the sword of Simón Bolívar as he warned supporters to brace for “imperialist aggression,” delivering a defiant address after Trump said the U.S. will “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was questioned about the U.S. seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

Trump said he had not ruled out sending U.S. troops to Venezuela as part of the administration’s crackdown on criminal networks tied to senior figures in Caracas. 

“No, I don’t rule out that. I don’t rule out anything,” he said.

He also left room for potential talks. 

“We may be having some conversations with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” Trump told reporters over the weekend.

Since early September, U.S. strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have destroyed dozens of vessels. U.S. officials say many were linked to Venezuelan and Colombian criminal groups.

Maduro appeared at last month’s rally holding the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independence leader regarded as the liberator of much of South America. He told supporters the country was facing a decisive moment.