Thursday 11 / December / 2025
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump said the tanker "was seized for a very good reason."
The US president added that "other things are happening," without offering any additional details. Reporters asked Trump what would happen with the oil, he replied: "We keep it, I guess."
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a video to X that appeared to show US forces boarding the tanker.
Venezuela denounces seizure of oil tanker
In response, Caracas accused Washington of "blatant theft" as the Venezuelan government vowed to "defend its sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination."
A statement from the foreign ministry added that the Latin American country "strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy."
It added that they would denounce the seizure in front of international bodies.
Vessel seizure latest escalation between Washington and Maduro
The announcement marks the latest escalation between the Trump administration and the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and it comes as opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is believed to have left the country for Oslo.
In an interview with US news outlet Politico earlier this week, Trump said that Maduro's "days are numbered," declining to rule out a US ground invasion against Venezuela.
