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

Venezuelan leader Nicol s Maduro warned that his country must stand like warriors ready to smash the teeth of the North American empire on Wednesday a moment that coincided with the U S seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela s coast Maduro delivered the remarks while holding the sword of Sim n Bol var at a rally where video displayed him humming and dancing to a recording of American singer Bobby McFerrin's late- s hit Don t Worry Be Happy Maduro recounted supporters that Venezuelans must stay alert as tensions with Washington escalate In these times things have to be different but we must unfailingly stand like warriors women and men he explained in a translated interpretation With one eye wide open and the other one too working producing building keeping everything running and ready to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary from Bolivar s homeland President Donald Trump informed Wednesday that the U S had seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela sharply escalating tensions with Caracas The tanker was taken for allegedly transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran according to Attorney General Pam Bondi VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MACHADO REAPPEARS IN NORWAY AFTER MONTHS IN HIDINGVenezuela s Foreign Ministry condemned the move in an official report calling it a brazen robbery and an act of international piracy and accusing Trump of openly pursuing a plan to take Venezuelan oil without paying anything in return The ministry announced the action fits into what it described as a longstanding U S effort to plunder the country s natural materials and compared the episode to the loss of Citgo Petroleum Corp which Caracas insists was seized through fraudulent judicial mechanisms The announcement argued that the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have nothing to do with migration drug trafficking democracy or human rights insisting it has reliably been about our natural support our oil our capacity MADURO BRANDISHES SWORD AT RALLY AS HE RAILS AGAINST 'IMPERIALIST AGGRESSION' AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH USIt also accused Washington of using the tanker development to distract from what it described as the failure of political efforts in Oslo by groups seeking Maduro s removal Caracas urged Venezuelans to remain firm in defense of the homeland and called on the international public to reject what it described as vandalistic illegal and unprecedented aggression The regime disclosed it will take its complaint to all available international bodies and vowed to protect the country s sovereignty and control over its vitality assets declaring that Venezuela will not allow any foreign power to attempt to seize from the Venezuelan people what belongs to them by historical and constitutional right MARCO RUBIO SAYS TRUMP WILL NOT BE 'SUCKERED' BY MADURO LIKE BIDENTensions between the two countries have grown following months of U S maritime strikes that Washington says targeted vessels used by drug traffickers to movement narcotics Reuters has released that more than people have been killed since September and a separate Reuters document detailed heightened surveillance and shield crackdowns in coastal communities affected by the strikes Late last month Venezuelan leader Nicol s Maduro appeared at a mass rally in Caracas holding the sword of Sim n Bol var as he warned supporters to brace for imperialist aggression delivering a defiant address after Trump declared the U S will very soon begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land BONDI SHARES HEART-POUNDING FOOTAGE OF US SEIZING VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER IN RARE ACTION LAST SEEN IN Trump announced he had not ruled out sending U S troops to Venezuela as part of the administration s crackdown on criminal networks tied to senior figures in Caracas No I don t rule out that I don t rule out anything he commented He also left room for anticipated talks We may be having several conversations with Maduro and we ll see how that turns out They would like to talk Trump notified reporters over the weekend Since early September U S strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have destroyed dozens of vessels U S agents say a great number of were linked to Venezuelan and Colombian criminal groups Maduro appeared at last month s rally holding the sword of Sim n Bol var the th-century independence leader regarded as the liberator of much of South America He recounted supporters the country was facing a decisive moment Fox News Efrat Lachter contributed to this record