The U.S. has seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions with Caracas.
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. Large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized action. And, other things are happening. So you’ll be seeing that later. And you’ll be talking about that later with some other people,” Trump said at the White House.
“It was seized for a very good reason,” he added.
NEW: President Trump says the U.S. seized a "very large" tanker on the coast of Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/lErVqz8G1U
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 10, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel shared footage of the tanker seizure on X, saying, “Today the @FBI and our partners executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela – used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The tanker has been used in recent years in an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. Proud of our great partners who executed the mission with us –@DHSgov, @Sec_Noem, @HSI_HQ, @USCG, @SecWar, @AGPamBondi and many more. This administration’s efforts to crush FTO’s and cut off their resources will continue day and night.”
Today the @FBI and our partners executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela – used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The tanker has been used in recent years in an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist… pic.twitter.com/32w0tG93jy
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 10, 2025
The move is expected to further strain U.S. relations with Nicolás Maduro’s government, which is already under sweeping American sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry. It follows at least 22 U.S. military strikes since September targeting alleged narcotraffickers operating near Venezuela, operations that have resulted in 87 deaths, according to U.S. officials.
The seizure was led by the Coast Guard and supported by the Navy, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.
This story is developing…
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— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 10, 2025
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