US seizes another vessel off the coast of Venezuela amid escalating tensions between the countries
The United States is in the process of seizing another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in international waters.
The move comes amid mounting tensions between the Caribbean country and the Trump administration.
Last week, US forces seized another sanctioned oil tanker accused of smuggling illicit crude.
The news of the latest seizure was reported late this morning by Reuters based on statements from three unnamed US officials.
They confirmed the Coast Guard is spearheading the interdiction without specifying where it is taking place.
It comes days after President Donald Trump declared the Venezuelan government a foreign terrorist organization and ordered ‘a total and complete blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers headed to and from the country.
So far, the Trump administration’s drone strike campaign against Venezuelan boats have killed 95 people.
The White House claims these boats are ferrying illegal drugs to the US at the direction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government. No evidence has been provided to the public to substantiate allegations of Maduro’s involvement.
The United States is in the process of seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, according to three unidentified US officials
It is unknown where exactly this interdiction is taking place, but the Coast Guard is leading the operation, according to the officials. Pictured: A oil tanker previously seized by the US Government
Trump stepped up his attacks against Venezuela by arguing the country stole US property by nationalizing oil fields that belonged to American companies in the 1970s.
Trump accused Maduro, whom he considers to be the illegitimate leader of Venezuela, of using this stolen oil to finance narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder, kidnapping and self-enrichment.
‘For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,’ he said.
Trump accused Maduro, whom he considers to be the illegitimate leader of Venezuela, of using this stolen oil to finance narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder, kidnapping and self-enrichment.
‘Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace.’
In recent weeks, the US has been gradually ratcheting up the number of warships operating near Venezuela.
At least 11 ships and 15,000 troops have been deployed in the vicinity of the South American country.
In late November, Trump reportedly told Maduro that he should flee the country along with his wife.
The US has attacked several boats in the Caribbean. The Trump Administration has said the US military is conducting strikes on boats allegedly carrying drug traffickers (pictured: a September strike on a boat)
The president even assured Maduro of safe passage for himself, his wife, and son if he resigned immediately, The Miami Herald reported.
A source familiar with the call said that Maduro asked Trump for global amnesty, which the president rejected, before asking to keep his control of the Venezuelan armed forces in exchange for free elections.
Trump also said no to that idea before Maduro rejected the idea of resigning. The president confirmed Sunday that the talks had occurred.
It is unclear if Trump and Maduro are still negotiating. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Maduro, 62, has been in the crosshairs of the American justice system since March 2020, when he was indicted in the Southern District of New York on a litany of charges related to drug trafficking.
They included narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Immediately after the indictment, the first Trump administration offered a $15million reward for Maduro’s capture.
President Joe Biden’s State Department increased that to $25million, and the second Trump administration doubled it to $50million in August.
The White House claims these boats are ferrying illegal drugs to the US at the direction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government. No evidence has been provided to the public to substantiate allegations of Maduro’s involvement
Maduro has been the president of Venezuela since April 2013 and in that time, he has been accused of consolidating power in executive agencies while simultaneously wrestling it away from the elected National Assembly.
There was so much doubt over the veracity of the 2018 presidential elections, which he won, that the president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, was declared the true leader of Venezuela by anti-Maduro legislators.
Guaidó was even invited as a special guest to Trump’s State of the Union address in February 2020.
Democrats and Republicans alike cheered for Guaidó after Trump called him ‘the true and legitimate president of Venezuela’.
In 2024, Maduro ran for a third term as president. He was declared the winner in July by the Maduro-aligned election authority, which did not release the voting tallies from each of the 30,000 polling booths in the nation.
The opposition party, who ran Edmundo González as their candidate, also claimed victory.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the margin of González’s win was ‘overwhelming’ based on tallies received from 80 percent of ballot boxes nationwide.
Machado claimed González, a former diplomat, won with twice as many votes.
In recent weeks, the US has been gradually ratcheting up the number of warships operating near Venezuela. At least 11 ships and 15,000 troops have been deployed in the vicinity of the South American country (pictured: crude oil tanker)
In November 2024, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially recognized González as the president-elect of Venezuela.
The Trump administration has held the same position, with current Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing Maduro of election tampering.
Guaidó and González fled the country after both men had arrest warrants issued for them by Maduro’s government.
