The United States seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast on Wednesday, marking a major step in President Donald Trump’s four-month effort to tighten pressure on the Latin American nation and its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro. Trump confirmed the operation and said: “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela – a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually.”
He added that “It was seized for a very good reason,” but did not reveal who owned the vessel.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a short 45-second video on X. The footage, though grainy, showed US forces arriving on the tanker by helicopter and securing the vessel.
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 10, 2025
Why the Operation Matters
Bondi said the tanker had been under US sanctions for “multiple years” because it was part of an “illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations.” The Venezuelan government did not issue an immediate reaction.
However, at a rally in Caracas, Maduro called on Venezuelans to be “warriors,” urging them to be ready “to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary.”
Background on Maduro’s Rule
Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013, taking over after Hugo Chávez's death. He has faced widespread criticism for manipulating elections, suppressing opponents, and driving political rivals into exile. Edmundo González, widely seen as the rightful winner of the 2024 election, fled to Spain after severe repression.
Since August, the US has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro. Washington also launched the largest naval deployment in the Caribbean since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
Rising Tensions in the Region
In addition to seizing the tanker, the US has carried out deadly airstrikes on suspected drug-running vessels, killing more than 80 people. On Tuesday, two US fighter jets flew over the Gulf of Venezuela for nearly 40 minutes, passing just north of Maracaibo, one of the country’s biggest cities.
Opposition Leader Honoured on World Stage
A day after the tanker operation, the Nobel Peace Prize committee formally recognised Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado. She received the award for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a peaceful and just transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the prize in Oslo. She told the audience that her mother would continue her fight against “obscene corruption” and “brutal dictatorship.”