Maduro sings, dances and threatens to 'smash the teeth' of the 'North American empire'

Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro warned that his state indispensable "stand similar warriors… acceptable to smash the teeth of the North American empire" connected Wednesday, a infinitesimal that coincided with the U.S. seizure of an lipid tanker disconnected Venezuela’s coast.

Maduro delivered the remarks portion holding the sword of Simón Bolívar astatine a rally wherever video showed him singing and dancing to a signaling of American vocalist Bobby McFerrin's late-80s hit, "Don’t Worry, Be Happy." Maduro told supporters that Venezuelans indispensable enactment alert arsenic tensions with Washington escalate.

"In these times, things person to beryllium different, but we indispensable ever basal similar warriors, women and men," helium said successful a translated interpretation. "With 1 oculus wide unfastened – and the different 1 excessively – working, producing, building, keeping everything running, and acceptable to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary, from Bolivar’s homeland."

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. had seized an lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Venezuela, sharply escalating tensions with Caracas. The tanker was taken for allegedly transporting sanctioned lipid from Venezuela and Iran, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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Maduro issues a fierce informing aft the U.S. seizes a tanker adjacent Venezuela, triggering accusations of piracy and intensifying a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)

Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry condemned the determination successful an authoritative statement, calling it "a brazen robbery and an enactment of planetary piracy" and accusing Trump of openly pursuing a program to "take Venezuelan lipid without paying thing successful return."

The ministry said the enactment fits into what it described arsenic a longstanding U.S. effort to plunder the country’s earthy resources and compared the occurrence to the nonaccomplishment of Citgo Petroleum Corp., which Caracas claims was seized done "fraudulent judicial mechanisms."

The connection argued that "the existent reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela" person thing to bash with migration, cause trafficking, democracy, oregon quality rights, insisting "it has ever been astir our earthy resources, our oil, our energy."

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Maduro issues a fierce informing aft the U.S. seizes a tanker adjacent Venezuela, triggering accusations of piracy and intensifying a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)

It besides accused Washington of utilizing the tanker incidental to distract from what it described arsenic the nonaccomplishment of governmental efforts successful Oslo by groups seeking Maduro’s removal.

Caracas urged Venezuelans to "remain steadfast successful defence of the homeland" and called connected the planetary assemblage to cull what it described arsenic "vandalistic, illegal, and unprecedented aggression."

The authorities said it volition instrumentality its ailment to each disposable planetary bodies and vowed to support the country’s sovereignty and power implicit its vigor assets, declaring that "Venezuela volition not let immoderate overseas powerfulness to effort to prehend from the Venezuelan radical what belongs to them by humanities and law right."

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Maduro issues a fierce informing aft the U.S. seizes a tanker adjacent Venezuela, triggering accusations of piracy and intensifying a rapidly escalating standoff. (Reuters and APTN)

Tensions betwixt the 2 countries person grown pursuing months of U.S. maritime strikes that Washington says targeted vessels utilized by cause traffickers to transport narcotics.

Reuters has reported that much than 80 radical person been killed since September, and a abstracted Reuters study elaborate heightened surveillance and information crackdowns successful coastal communities affected by the strikes.

Late past month, Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro appeared astatine a wide rally successful Caracas holding the sword of Simón Bolívar arsenic helium warned supporters to brace for "imperialist aggression," delivering a defiant code aft Trump said the U.S. volition "very soon" statesman stopping suspected Venezuelan cause traffickers connected land.

BONDI SHARES HEART-POUNDING FOOTAGE OF US SEIZING VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER IN RARE ACTION LAST SEEN IN 2014

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt was questioned astir the U.S. seizing an lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Venezuela. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

Trump said helium had not ruled retired sending U.S. troops to Venezuela arsenic portion of the administration’s crackdown connected transgression networks tied to elder figures successful Caracas. "No, I don’t regularisation retired that, I don’t regularisation retired anything," helium said.

He besides near country for imaginable talks. "We whitethorn beryllium having immoderate conversations with Maduro, and we’ll spot however that turns out. They would similar to talk," Trump told reporters implicit the weekend.

Since aboriginal September, U.S. strikes crossed the Caribbean and eastbound Pacific person destroyed dozens of vessels. U.S. officials accidental galore were linked to Venezuelan and Colombian transgression groups.

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Maduro appeared astatine past month’s rally holding the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independency person regarded arsenic the liberator of overmuch of South America. He told supporters the state was facing a decisive moment.

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.