Khamenei slams US for 'expansionism' after Venezuela tanker seizure

Following Washington's escalating pressure campaign against Venezuela and its government, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday took a sharp swipe at the United States, accusing it of pursuing "territorial expansionism" in parts of Latin America while speaking about global resistance to foreign pressure.

In a post on X, Khamenei wrote "withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance," adding that such pressure may take different forms, including expansionist goals or attempts to influence cultural and social identity.

"Withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance. The goal of such pressure may be territorial expansionism - like what the US is now doing in some Latin American countries - or it may involve cultural & religious matters, or pressure to change people's lifestyles & their identities," Khamenei stated in his post.

The remarks by Iran's supreme leader were in reference to Washington's increased pressure tactics over South America, particularly Venezuela and came a day after US President Donald Trump stated that Washington had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, "As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually."

According to CNN, the tanker, named Skipper and previously known as Adisa, was transporting Venezuelan crude. It had been sanctioned by the US in 2022 for facilitating oil trades on behalf of Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

Following Trump's comment, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed the seizure of the tanker, noting that the ship was transporting "sanctioned oil" from Venezuela and Iran.

"Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations. This seizure, off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely--and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues," Bondi said in a post on X, sharing unclassified visuals of the seizure.

The operation is part of a broader US campaign to pressure Venezuela, which has involved deploying thousands of troops and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, targeting suspected drug vessels, and issuing repeated warnings to President Maduro, CNN reported.