- U.S. seized oil tanker near Venezuela coast.
- Action escalates Trump’s Venezuela pressure.
- Targeting South American nation intensifies.
According to people familiar with the situation who spoke to Bloomberg News on Wednesday, the U.S. government had sanctioned the intercepted tanker. The oil-rich country may find it more difficult to trade as a result of the seizure since shippers may be reluctant to handle its cargo. China receives most of Venezuela's oil.
The U.S. Coast Guard carried out the operation, two anonymous sources told Reuters. The vessel's identity and the precise location of the operation were not disclosed.
Trump acknowledged the maneuver on Wednesday afternoon, telling reporters,
"As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. Largest one ever seized actually. And other things are happening."
Requests for comment from The Independent were not immediately answered by White House or Pentagon spokespeople.
The Trump administration is increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom it accuses of aiding illegal drug trafficking, at the time of the naval operation.
At least 87 individuals have died as a result of the Pentagon's roughly two dozen strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean since September. Concurrently, the United States has accumulated a fleet of warships close to Venezuela, which represents the biggest naval presence in the area in many years.
“I think you’re going to find that this is war,”
Trump said last week.
“And very soon we’re going to start doing it on land too,”
referring to the naval strikes.
Maduro has accused the Trump administration of "fabricating a new eternal war" and denied that his nation is involved in the illegal drug trade.
What legal basis did US officials cite for the seizure?
US officers cited violations of US warrants against Venezuela's state oil painting company PDVSA as the primary legal base for seizing the tanker in transnational waters.
The vessel was flagged for carrying sanctioned Venezuelan crude under deceptive shipping practices( e.g., boat- to- boat transfers to shirk shadowing), invoking superintendent orders like EO 13850 and the Venezuelan Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act, which authorize Treasury and Coast Guard vetoes of lawless oil painting trade backing Maduro.
Operations fell under customary transnational law for high- swell enforcement against warrants elusion, with no territorial claims disputed; analogous to previous seizures like the 2020" Asphalt Princess" or Iranian tanker conduct.