UN chief speaks to Venezuelan president after US oil blockade

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday over the phone amid tensions surrounding a recent US decision to impose a "total blockade" on Venezuelan oil tankers.

"The Secretary-General has received a phone call from H.E. Nicolas Maduro Moros, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, regarding the current tensions in the region," said a statement from Guterres' office.

Noting that "during the call, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the United Nations' position on the need for Member States to respect international law, particularly the United Nations Charter," Guterres reaffirmed the need to "exert restraint and de-escalate tensions to preserve regional stability."

Earlier, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Guterres "calls for restraint and for the immediate de-escalation of the situation."

The call comes after US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he had ordered a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned vessels entering or leaving the South American country, which has faced a buildup of US forces off its northern coast in the Caribbean Sea.

Caracas called the move "grotesque," accusing Trump of attempting to seize the nation's natural resources. A government statement alleged that Trump "assumes that Venezuela's oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property."

Over the past four months, US forces have maintained a significant and growing military presence in the Caribbean, carrying out strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking. Trump has also said that the US military could soon conduct land strikes on Venezuelan soil.

The standoff escalated when US forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast Dec. 10, an act Caracas branded "international piracy."