U.S. forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking the latest escalation in President Donald Trump’s targeting of the South American nation, according to new reports.
The intercepted tanker had been sanctioned by the U.S. government, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News on Wednesday. The seizure could make it more difficult for the oil-rich nation to conduct trade, as shippers may be wary of handling its cargo. The majority of Venezuelan oil is sent to China.
Two unnamed officials told Reuters that the operation was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard. They didn’t provide the name of the vessel or where exactly the operation took place.
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.”
Spokespeople for the White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent.
The naval operation comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom it accuses of facilitating illegal drug trafficking. Since September, the Pentagon has launched around two dozen strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, killing at least 87 people. At the same time, the U.S. has amassed a fleet of warships near Venezuela, marking the most significant naval presence in the region in decades. And, in October, the Republican president authorized the CIA to undertake covert action inside Venezuela.
“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 denied that his country is involved in the illegal drug trade and has accused the Trump administration of “fabricating a new eternal war.” He’s also said the real motivation behind Trump’s actions is to force him out of office and take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
The administration’s actions in the region have prompted a wave of criticism from Democratic lawmakers.
Virginia Senator Tim Kaine described the Pentagon’s strikes in the Caribbean as illegal and warned that they risk dragging a conflict-weary nation in yet another foreign war. “The American people have no interest in stumbling into an illegal new war that would place the lives of our servicemembers at risk,” he said in late November.
A handful of Republicans, too, have expressed opposition. Last week, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to testify under oath about the boat strikes.
“I think that Congress, if they had any kind of gumption at all, would not be allowing this administration to summarily execute people that are suspected of a crime,” he told The Independent.
Many Republicans, though, have stood in lockstep with the administration. In November, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin said Trump is “protecting the United States by being very proactive.”
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