Rubio: US Oil Quarantine Pressures Venezuela, Military Option Open

In an interview with television channel CBS, Rubio said that Venezuela's oil sector lies at the heart of the country's crisis and is the main source of leverage for the United States.

"The key to what that regime relies on is the economy fueled by oil," he added.

He described the industry as "backwards" and said it no longer benefits ordinary Venezuelans.

"None of the money from the oil gets to the people. It's all stolen by the people that are on the top there," he told the news channel.

Rubio said the US has imposed what he called an oil "quarantine", enforced by sanctions and naval power.

"There's a quarantine right now," he added.

"Sanctioned oil shipments -- there's a boat, and that boat is under US sanctions - we go get a court order, we will seize it."

He said the pressure would remain in place until Washington sees concrete changes.

"That remains in place, and that's a tremendous amount of leverage," Rubio added.

According to Rubio, US demands include an end to drug trafficking, the dismantling of criminal gangs, and the removal of armed groups operating from Venezuelan territory.

"So that they stop the drug trafficking, so that we no longer have these gang problems, so that they kick the FARC and the ELN out," he said.

He also warned against foreign influence in the region.

Rubio said Venezuela must "no longer cozy up to Hezbollah and Iran in our own hemisphere".

Pressed on President Donald Trump's remarks about retaining "all military options", Rubio said the administration is not ruling anything out but stressed that current actions rely on pressure, not occupation.

"The President always retains optionality," he added.

"He does not feel like he is going to publicly rule out options that are available for the United States."

Rubio said the current US military force posture includes a major naval deployment.

"One of the largest naval deployments in modern history," he said, adding that it is capable of stopping drug shipments and enforcing oil sanctions.

He said Venezuela's instability has had a direct impact on the United States.

"Eight, nine million people -- the largest mass migration event in modern history -- have left that country since 2014," Rubio added.

He said that Washington is focused on national security threats rather than political symbolism.

"We are not just addressing the regime," he added.

"We are addressing the factors that are a threat to the national interest of the United States."

He declined to discuss private negotiations with Venezuela's new leadership.

"These are delicate and complicated things," Rubio said.

"We are going to judge everything by what they do."

- IANS