Venezuela accuses US of ‘extortion’ over seizure of oil tankers

VENEZUELA: Venezuela has accused the United States of the “greatest extortion” at an emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York.

Washington’s seizure of two Venezuelan oil tankers was “worse than piracy,” the Venezuelan ambassador to the UN said.

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The emergency meeting of the Security Council was called to discuss the seizure of the tankers, which took place off the coast of Venezuela earlier this month.

The US has also said it was pursuing a third Venezuelan oil tanker.

President Trump has accused Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro of leading a drugs cartel and said gangs had operated with impunity for too long.