US seizes 'illicit' crude oil tanker as tensions with Venezuela continue to rise
The US has seized a crude oil tanker allegedly carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, the US attorney general has said.
Pamela Bondi revealed that Washington had sanctioned the vessel due to her supposed involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations for several years.
It comes amid rising tensions between Caracas and Washington after US president Donald Trump's order to strike down what he claims to be three boats carrying drugs to America in September.
The most recent operation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, and was supported by the Department of War.
"This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely – and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues," Ms Bondi said in a post on X about the operation.
The post was accompanied by video footage, which showed personnel fast-roping from two helicopters onto the tanker before checking the surroundings of the vessel.
Washington has not released any details about the oil tanker, such as her name or the exact location where she was seized.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening," President Trump said.
When Mr Trump was questioned about the oil, he said: "We keep it, I guess."
Venezuela has reacted to the seizure by branding the operation an "act of international piracy", according to the BBC.
The Venezuelan government, led by President Maduro, whom President Trump has been putting pressure on in recent months, has said that these operations are part of a "policy of aggression" and are a "deliberate plan to plunder our energy resources".
Meanwhile, Venezuela's interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, stated that the US are "murderers, thieves, pirates".
The BBC said that the US have been launching attacks on alleged narco boats in Operation Southern Spear.
Washington has struck 23 vessels and left 84 dead in the past four months during the attacks.
In October, the Trump administration deployed the world's largest warship, USS Gerald R Ford, to the Caribbean, adding to the military buildup.
There were already eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft in the region before the aircraft carrier arrived.
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