- Trump plans to seize Venezuelan oil tanker.
- White House announces capture off Venezuela coast.
- Tensions with Caracas at fever pitch.
The tanker was a "sanctioned shadow vessel" that was "known for carrying black market sanctioned oil" to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who defended the US move.
"The president is committed to stopping the illegal flow of drugs into our country. He's also fully committed to effectuating this administration's sanction policy. And that's what you saw, and the world saw take place yesterday,"
she said.
People who were on board when the ship was interdicted "are being interviewed, and any relevant evidence is being seized." Investigators are currently on the ship.
The Trump administration plans to file a lawsuit to formally confiscate the cargo as the ship is being transported to a US port.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency, and the US Coast Guard executed a seizure warrant for the tanker with assistance from the Defense Department, according to US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said that his nation
"strongly condemns what constitutes a blatant act of theft and international piracy, publicly announced by the president of the United States."
Trump
"openly stated during his 2024 campaign that his goal had always been to take Venezuela's oil without paying anything in return,"
he added, accusing the Trump government of executing a calculated plan to acquire Venezuela's natural resources.
As Trump continues to demand that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro resign from office and maintains that all options, including military intervention, remain on the table despite a large force buildup in the region, the move is almost expected to further escalate relations with Caracas.
Since the attacks started in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean in early September, the US has already conducted 22 known strikes against alleged "narco-terrorist" seaborne vessels, resulting in the deaths of 87 persons.
The Trump administration justifies the tanker seizure primarily through US domestic warrants law and a civil hunt leave targeting vessels involved in escaping restrictions on Venezuelan and Iranian oil painting trade.
What legal basis supports the US seizure of the tanker?
Attorney General Pam Bondi cited the tanker's previous sanctioning under superintendent orders for supporting lawless networks linked to foreign terrorist associations, authorizing US Coast Guard and Navy enforcement via a leave executed in what officers describe as transnational waters.
Under UNCLOS, the US claims a" right of visit" due to the vessel's allegedly false Guyanese flag (verified stateless by Guyana), permitting boarding for nation verification; critics note this doesn't automatically extend to full seizure or weight penalty absent flag- state concurrence.