Recent US actions against Venezuela include the seizure of the oil tanker Skipper off the Venezuelan coast, which was carrying nearly two million barrels of heavy crude intended for Cuba. The tanker transferred a small portion of its oil to another vessel headed to Cuba before heading east toward Asia. This move highlights Venezuela's longstanding support for Cuba through subsidized oil exports, with Cuba providing security and medical personnel in return. The US claims the seizure is part of efforts to combat drug trafficking, accusing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of overseeing narco-terrorism, though Venezuela is not a significant producer of fentanyl or drugs entering the US. US-Venezuela relations have been hostile for years, marked by sanctions imposed since 2005, which have caused thousands of deaths and severe economic hardship, especially after the US-backed 2002 coup attempt against Hugo Chávez. Sanctions intensified under Trump in 2019, aiming to oust Maduro and support opposition leader Juan Guaido, but ultimately failed. Despite claims of targeting only the regime, the sanctions have devastated the Venezuelan population, causing food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and shortages. In addition to economic measures, the US has engaged in covert operations and military threats, with Trump authorizing the CIA to operate inside Venezuela and making provocative statements about the country's airspace. The US has also pardoned figures like Juan Orlando Hernandez, a former Honduran president convicted of drug trafficking, raising questions about US hypocrisy. The ongoing US aggression is seen as a continuation of a long-standing campaign of economic and political interference, with critics arguing that the US is already at war with Venezuela, using sanctions, covert operations, and military actions to destabilize the country. Venezuelans seeking safety have faced brutal treatment and deportation, exemplified by a young man deported from the US after fleeing violence and economic collapse. The article emphasizes that US policies have caused widespread suffering in Venezuela, with the current tanker seizure representing another escalation in these hostile efforts.