US forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela's coast. The move escalates tensions with the Maduro regime and raises new questions about the future of Venezuela's oil exports, Bloomberg reports. President Trump confirmed the seizure Wednesday afternoon. "We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," he told reporters at the White House, per the AP. "And other things are happening soon." Reuters, citing American officials speaking on condition of anonymity, reports that the operation was led by the US Coast Guard. The officials did not name the tanker or say exactly where it was seized.
The incident comes as the Trump administration intensifies its pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro, whom US officials accuse of running a narcotrafficking operation. The Pentagon has carried out over 20 strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the region, resulting in more than 80 deaths. President Trump has repeatedly hinted at possible military action on Venezuelan soil, while Maduro has called for national unity and bolstered military deployments in response to what he describes as US aggression and a bid to control Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
The seizure could significantly disrupt Venezuela's oil exports, which are already hampered by international sanctions and are mostly routed to China through intermediaries at discounted rates, Bloomberg reports. The state oil company, PDVSA, manages the country's petroleum sector and partners with foreign firms like Chevron. Chevron is allowed to operate under a US Treasury license that shields it from sanctions, with the company paying the Venezuelan government a share of oil produced through joint ventures.
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