The tension between Washington and Caracas jumped several notches after US forces seized a massive oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Donald Trump confirmed the operation on Wednesday, calling it the “largest tanker ever seized,” though he offered few details about what comes next—or what will happen to the oil on board.
Venezuela didn’t hold back. Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil Pinto blasted the move as “blatant theft” and “international piracy,” arguing that the real motive behind US pressure has always been Venezuela’s natural resources. In a pointed statement, Gil said the country’s oil and energy wealth has long made it a target and called the seizure an attempt to distract from political events unfolding in Oslo.
Hours later, a clearer picture emerged. Former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi revealed that US agencies executed a seizure warrant on a tanker previously sanctioned for participating in an illicit oil-shipping network tied to foreign terrorist groups. Video posted on X showed Coast Guard commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the deck, weapons drawn, before entering the ship.
According to US officials, the boarding team included members of the Maritime Security Response Teams—elite units trained for high-risk maritime counterterrorism operations. Law enforcement sources identified the vessel as the Skipper.
For now, the White House says no other seizure warrants are active. Still, the move adds to growing military activity in the region. The US has recently deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Caribbean and has been targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels since September. Trump has framed these operations as part of an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, some of which he accuses of operating as terrorist organizations.
Meanwhile, oil prices reacted immediately. As investors processed the news, crude climbed more than 1.3 percent—about 75 cents—raising concerns about potential ripple effects at the gas pump.
The political backdrop is just as charged. Trump told Politico earlier this week that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “days are numbered.” Maduro, speaking at an event today, didn’t mention the tanker but said Venezuela was ready for a fight, declaring, “It’s not a time for cowards. It’s time for combat.”
Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado also resurfaced publicly in Oslo for the first time in nearly a year, just hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf—a moment underscoring how deeply Venezuela’s internal politics are now intertwined with global attention.
The tanker seizure may have lasted only minutes, but the geopolitical fallout is already spreading.
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