Though Khamenei did not name Venezuela, the remarks came amid rising US–Caracas tensions and were seen as a response to Washington’s actions in South America….reports Asian Lite News
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has launched a sharp attack on the United States, accusing Washington of pursuing “territorial expansionism” in Latin America as part of what he described as a broader campaign of pressure against sovereign nations, including Venezuela.
In a post on X on Thursday, Khamenei framed resistance to foreign pressure as a defining principle, arguing that such pressure can take many forms — from military and territorial ambitions to attempts to reshape cultural, social and religious identities.
“Withstanding enemy pressures is Resistance,” Khamenei wrote. “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 and religious matters, or pressure to change people’s lifestyles and their identities.”
While Khamenei did not name Venezuela directly in his post, his remarks came amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas, and were widely interpreted as a response to the United States’ intensified actions in South America.
The comments followed statements by US President Donald Trump, who revealed on Wednesday that American authorities had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump described the vessel as the largest tanker ever confiscated by the United States.
“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump said. “A large tanker — very large. Largest one ever seized, actually.”
According to a CNN report, the tanker — currently named *Skipper* and previously known as *Adisa* — was carrying Venezuelan crude oil. The ship had been sanctioned by the United States in 2022 for its alleged role in facilitating oil shipments linked to Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.
Following Trump’s announcement, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed the seizure, stating that the vessel was transporting oil in violation of US sanctions imposed on both 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,” Bondi said in a post on X. She added that the tanker had been sanctioned for several years due to its involvement in what US authorities describe as an illicit oil shipping network that supports foreign terrorist organisations.
Bondi noted that the operation was carried out “safely and securely” off the Venezuelan coast and said investigations were continuing in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the movement of sanctioned oil.
The tanker seizure is part of a broader US pressure campaign against Venezuela, which has expanded in recent months. According to CNN, Washington has deployed thousands of troops and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, stepped up maritime operations targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels, and issued repeated warnings to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Khamenei’s remarks reflect Tehran’s long-standing opposition to US sanctions and military actions, particularly those affecting Iran and its allies. By linking Washington’s actions in Venezuela to what he described as expansionist behaviour, the Iranian leader sought to frame the dispute within a wider narrative of resistance against American influence and intervention across the globe.
