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In a sharp escalation of tensions between Washington and Caracas, the United States has seized a large Venezuelan oil tanker off the Caribbean coast, prompting fierce denunciations from the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
What To Know
- Initial reports on Wednesday cited U.S. officials saying the Coast Guard carried out the tanker seizure under international maritime law, targeting vessels tied to alleged illicit PDVSA-linked crude shipments.
- U.S President Donald Trump later confirmed the seizure, hinting that “other things are happening,” but offered no further details.
- A senior Trump administration official described the move as a “judicial enforcement action on a stateless vessel” last docked in Venezuela.
- Oil prices jumped on the news: Brent crude rose 0.8 percent to $62.35 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate climbed to $58.46.
- Analysts warn the seizure may further strain U.S.–Venezuela relations and deter shippers already wary of handling sanctioned Venezuelan crude.
- Maduro has long accused Washington of seeking to overthrow him and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves; the nation’s production has fallen from over 2 million barrels a day to roughly 1 million.
- The seizure comes after Trump renewed threats of intervention by land, air, or sea, including a recent U.S. fighter jet flyover near Venezuelan airspace.
- Caracas condemned the action as “international piracy” and “brazen theft,” accusing the U.S. of trying to control its natural resources.
- Trump called the tanker the “largest ever” seized by the U.S.
Stay with Newsweek for all the latest updates on rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela.
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