On December 23, Venezuela's National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling party, unanimously passed a new law. This law allows for prison sentences of up to 20 years for anyone who promotes or finances what it calls piracy or blockades.

The law also addresses other international crimes and follows recent actions by the U.S. against Venezuelan oil shipments.

This month, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a supertanker carrying Venezuelan crude that was subject to sanctions. They also tried to stop two other vessels linked to Venezuela over the weekend, according to U.S. officials.

These actions represent the harshest measures taken against Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, since the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the oil company's former trading partners, which include two subsidiaries of Russia's Rosneft, in 2020. These sanctions forced PDVSA to reduce its production and exports, as the company had already been under restrictions since 2019.

The "Law to Guarantee Freedom of Navigation and Commerce Against Piracy, Blockades, and Other International Illicit Acts" was introduced by pro-government lawmaker Giuseppe Alessandrello on Monday.

Jorge Rodriguez, President of the National Assembly, stated that the bill will be sent to the executive for approval and will become effective once it is published in the Official Gazette.

In recent months, Washington has increased pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government by ramping up military presence in the Caribbean and conducting strikes on boats that the U.S. claims, without evidence, are involved in drug trafficking.

U.S. authorities assert that these operations aim to combat evasion of sanctions and drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, Maduro contends that the United States is trying to destabilize Venezuela’s economy and remove him from power.

Rodriguez also criticized the political opposition in Venezuela, whose leader has been in hiding for several months but recently traveled to Oslo to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.

He accused the opposition of supporting sanctions and claimed they "stole, plundered, and bowed down to U.S. imperialism," adding that they are pleased with the aggressive actions taking place in the Caribbean Sea.