AIrbus
Satellite photo of the Venezuelan oil tanker Skipper
It is the first time that the United States has seized Venezuelan cargo since 2019. Maduro resists and calls on Venezuelans to prepare to “crush the teeth of the North American empire”.
US forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
The operation, confirmed on Wednesday by Donald Trump, is the first seizure of Venezuelan cargo since the imposition of broad American sanctions in 2019.
“We just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela — a very large oil tanker, the largest ever seized“, said Trump, without revealing details about the property.
According to US authorities, the ship had already been under sanctions for some time for its involvement in an illicit oil transport network linked to Venezuela and Iran, according to .
A 45-second video released by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi shows federal agents landing on helicopter vessel. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) and Coast Guard carried out the seizure with military support.
The Department of Homeland Security published its own edited video of the operation with an LL Cool J songwhich has sparked new criticism over the agency’s recent pattern of using copyrighted music without permission.
This habit has already led to artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter publicly demanding the withdrawal of their songs.
KNOCKOUT.
If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we won’t find you.
Thank you to the brave service members from , , , , and .
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov)
Venezuela condemned the action as “international piracy” and accused the United States of seeking control of the country’s rich natural resources. “It has always been about our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people,” the government stated.
At a rally in Caracas, Maduro urged citizens to act as “warriors” prepared to “crush the teeth of the North American empire“.
The seizure of the oil tanker comes at the epicenter of an escalation of tensions in recent weeks, with Washington becoming more hostile with Caracas for considering that the Maduro government is encouraging drug trafficking and allowing drugs from Venezuelan gangs to enter the United States.
Since August, the US has offered a 50 million dollar reward for Maduromobilized its largest naval force in the Caribbean since the Cuban missile crisis and launched deadly air strikes against vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking, which killed more than 80 people.
On Tuesday, two North American fighter jets flew over the Gulf of Venezuela for around 40 minutes.
The strategic significance of this week’s seizure remains unclear.
Former US national security official Juan González recently suggested that Washington could pressure Maduro to accept a recall referendum as early as 2027warning that disregard for the result could trigger “radical consequences”, including an oil blockade.
