"Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei accused the US of committing 'state-sponsored piracy' during a press briefing in Tehran on Sunday, following the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. "This action by the United States is a true example of state-sponsored piracy, and it is an act against international law,” Baqaei said. He argued that Venezuela has the right to pursue its own foreign policy without external interference. “The party that should be held accountable here is the one insisting on violating the right of the people of Venezuela to self-determination, insisting on imposing its views on independent nations of the Western Hemisphere and Latin America,” he added. Baqaei said the international community had a responsibility to respond. “The entire international community is obliged to act in such cases, just as it considers itself bound in the face of piracy. The international community should unanimously oppose such actions and hold the US government accountable.” He also criticised European countries, claiming their position on Iran’s nuclear programme lacked independence. Baqaei said European policy on the Iranian nuclear file “has not been independent and has merely been shaped to satisfy the US government.” In a separate portion of the briefing, the Iranian spokesperson addressed sports-related concerns, stressing Iran’s right to compete freely on the international stage. “The right of the Iranian national football team and the country's football community to participate in this competition [2026 World Cup] without any problems,” he said. He urged FIFA to uphold its responsibilities and warned against politicising sport. The comments followed an announcement on Wednesday, December 10, in which US authorities said they had seized a crude oil tanker allegedly transporting sanctioned Venezuelan and Iranian oil. The United States said the vessel had been under sanctions for years due to its alleged involvement in an illicit oil shipping network. Earlier, the White House confirmed that Iran’s national football team would be allowed to enter the United States for the 2026 World Cup, though restrictions would apply to Iranian fans."