The United States seized an oil tanker last docked in Venezuela during a “pre-dawn action” on Saturday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. This marks the second time this month the U.S. apprehended a ship it says is connected to Venezuela, and follows U.S. President Donald Trump this week ordering a “total and complete” blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” entering and leaving the country.
Saturday’s operation was led by the U.S. Coast Guard, Noem said.
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U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the action was a “consented boarding,” meaning that the tanker stopped voluntarily and allowed U.S. forces on the vessel.
The Venezuelan government in a statement Saturday said the U.S.’ actions are “criminal,” and that it would file complaints with the United Nations Security Council.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically denounces and rejects the theft and hijacking of another private vessel transporting Venezuelan oil, as well as the enforced disappearance of its crew, perpetrated by United States military personnel in international waters,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, Dec. 10, the U.S. seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, also in international waters. The tanker was carrying Venezuelan oil, officials said. Crew members onboard did not resist and there were no casualties.
The Venezuelan government condemned the first seizure as well, and called it “barefaced robbery.”
Trump escalates tension with Venezuela
On Tuesday, Trump claimed that Venezuela is now “completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America.” He said pressure on the country will intensify until “they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.”
“I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
This year, the U.S. has been increasing its military presence in the region, accusing Venezuela of using oil revenue to fund drug trafficking and other criminal activity.
Venezuela’s government pushed back, saying the U.S. of violated “international law, free trade and the principle of free navigation” with “a reckless and grave threat.”
“[Trump] assumes that Venezuela’s oil, land and mineral wealth are his property,” the government said in a statement. “Consequently, he demands that Venezuela immediately hand over all its riches. The President of the United States intends to impose, in an utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.”
US strikes on boats in the Caribbean
This is all happening as the U.S. has reportedly killed 104 people and destroyed 29 boats in strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, many of which officials say are linked to Venezuela. While U.S. officials maintain these boats are carrying drugs and the people on them are “narco-terrorists,” critics, including Latin American leaders and bipartisan American lawmakers, say the Trump administration has not provided evidence of this.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently decided not to release the full, unedited video of a controversial strike the U.S. carried out in September. Lawmakers pushed for this footage to be made public after reports came out stating that the U.S. struck two survivors after an initial attack. Coming out of a closed briefing earlier this month, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said that the attack was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service,” and that the two people the military killed in the strike were clinging to a destroyed vessel and had no means to move.
However, after a classified briefing on Tuesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hegseth said “of course, we’re not going to release a top-secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public.” The Pentagon will instead share the video “with the appropriate committees,” he added.
