Venezuela reaches oil production target amid US pressure

ISTANBUL/BOGOTA

Venezuela has reached its goal of producing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day this year, despite intensifying US pressure and tanker seizures, said Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

Workers at state oil company PDVSA achieved the target under the Productive Independence Plan and are preparing to increase production and meet 2026 goals, she said Saturday on Telegram.

Rodriguez described the accomplishment as the best Christmas gift for Venezuelans, calling it the result of efforts by oil workers who confront and defeat "harassment, hostility, and imperialist illegality that attacks and violates the human rights of Venezuelans."

"Nothing and no one will stop us," she said, pledging continued support for President Nicolas Maduro.

The announcement came as US forces seized oil tankers linked to Venezuela, including the Panama-flagged vessel Centuries on Saturday and Skipper on Dec. 10, with reports suggesting a third seizure is underway.

US President Donald Trump declared a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, calling Maduro's government a "foreign terrorist organization."

Venezuela has condemned the US actions as "international piracy."

Washington says the measures are part of a broader effort to combat corruption and drug trafficking in the region, while Caracas accuses the US of using anti-narcotics efforts as a pretext to remove Maduro from power and gain control over Venezuela's oil resources.