U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela in ‘Serious Escalation’
President Donald Trump speaks on the red carpet before the 48th Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The US military has seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. report He described the move as “serious tension” between the president Donald Trump’s sword clatter to lift Nicolas Maduro from power.
Bloomberg added: “Seizure could make it much harder for Venezuela to export its oil, as other shippers are now likely more reluctant to load their cargo. Most Venezuelan oil goes to China, often through intermediaries, at steep discounts due to sanctions risk.”
The movement sounds like this Embers and his administration continues to bomb alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea; this incident has killed more than 80 people so far and created a growing scandal over the killing of survivors; critics called it a war crime. In recent days, Trump has raised the possibility of ground attacks and even ground troops as part of his campaign to end “narco terrorism” in the region.
Trump is also in talks with the Maduro regime to remove him from power. Trump and Maduro reportedly spoke on the phone, but negotiations broke down when Maduro requested a blanket amnesty for himself and about 100 of his top officials in a friendly country. Maduro also reportedly wants to keep $200 million of his personal fortune.
Maduro has openly claimed that Trump is trying to remove him from power in order to steal his country’s vast oil reserves. Bloomberg noted that despite the sanctions, US oil companies are already operating within the country. “State oil company PDVSA controls the country’s oil industry. It drills in many parts of Venezuela with international partners, including Houston-based Chevron Corp. Under the current arrangement, Chevron pays the government a percentage of the oil it produces with PDVSA through the companies’ joint ventures. A license issued by the U.S. Treasury exempts the U.S. company from sanctions,” Bloomberg added of the complicated relationship.
This is a developing story and has been updated.
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