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 in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.
The move comes amid rising tensions between the Caribbean nation and the Trump administration.
Last week, US forces seized another sanctioned oil tanker accused of illegally smuggling crude oil.
News of the latest seizure was reported by Reuters late this morning, citing statements from three unnamed US officials.
They confirmed that the Coast Guard was spearheading the ban, without specifying where it would take place.
This comes just days after President Donald Trump declared the Venezuelan government a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a ‘complete and total blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from the country.
The Trump administration’s campaign of drone strikes against Venezuelan boats has killed 95 people so far.
The White House claims that these boats transport illegal drugs to the United States under the instructions of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government. No evidence has been presented to the public to prove allegations of Maduro’s involvement.
The United States is in the process of seizing an oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, according to three unidentified US officials.
It is not known exactly where this ban took place, but according to officials, the Coast Guard is carrying out the operation. Image: An oil tanker previously seized by the US Government
Trump has stepped up his attacks on Venezuela, claiming that Venezuela stole U.S. property by expropriating oil fields owned by American companies in the 1970s.
Trump accused Maduro, whom he sees as the illegitimate leader of Venezuela, of using this stolen oil to finance narco-terrorism, human trafficking, murder, kidnapping and self-enrichment.
‘Due to the theft of our assets and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Trafficking and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,’ he said.
Trump accused Maduro, whom he sees as 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 the COMPLETE AND COMPLETE BLOCKING OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS entering and exiting Venezuela. ‘Illegal Aliens and Criminals sent to the USA by the Maduro Regime during the weak and incompetent Biden Administration are being rapidly extradited to Venezuela.’
In recent weeks, the United States has been gradually increasing the number of warships operating near Venezuela.
At least 11 ships and 15,000 troops have been deployed near the South American country.
In late November, Trump reportedly told Maduro that he should flee the country with his wife.
The USA attacked many boats in the Caribbean. The Trump Administration said the US military had launched attacks on boats allegedly carrying drug traffickers (pictured: Attack on a boat in September)
The president even guaranteed Maduro safe passage for himself, his wife, and his son if he resigned immediately. Miami Herald reported.
A source familiar with the call said Maduro asked Trump for a global pardon, but the president refused, then asked to retain control of Venezuela’s armed forces in exchange for free elections.
Before Maduro rejected the idea of resigning, Trump also said no to this idea. The president confirmed on Sunday that the talks were taking place.
It’s unclear whether Trump and Maduro are still negotiating. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Maduro, 62, has been a target of the American justice system since March 2020, when he was indicted in the Southern District of New York on a series of drug trafficking-related charges.
These 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 $15 million reward for Maduro’s capture.
President Joe Biden’s State Department increased it to $25 million in August, and the second Trump administration doubled it to $50 million.
The White House claims that these boats transport illegal drugs to the United States under the instructions of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government. No evidence has been presented to the public to prove allegations of Maduro’s involvement.
Maduro has been president of Venezuela since April 2013, during which time he has been accused of consolidating his power in the executive branch while also alienating it from the elected National Assembly.
There were so many doubts about the integrity of the 2018 presidential election he won that National Assembly President Juan Guaidó was declared the true leader of Venezuela by anti-Maduro lawmakers.
Guaidó was even invited as a special guest to Trump’s State of the Union address in February 2020.
Both Democrats and Republicans applauded 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 pro-Maduro electoral authority, which did not release vote counts from the country’s 30,000 polling stations.
The opposition party that nominated Edmundo González also declared victory.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said González’s margin of victory was ‘very large,’ according to counts from 80 percent of polling stations nationwide.
Machado claimed he won with twice as many votes as González, a former diplomat.
In recent weeks, the United States has been gradually increasing the number of warships operating near Venezuela. At least 11 ships and 15,000 troops have been deployed near the South American country (image: crude oil tanker)
In November 2024, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially recognized González as the next president of Venezuela.
The Trump administration also took the same stance; Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Maduro of interfering in the election.
Guaidó and González fled the country after both men were issued arrest warrants by the Maduro government.
