Ask Onix
US seizes Venezuelan oil tankers amid escalating tensions
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States will either retain, sell, or redirect to its Strategic Petroleum Reserve the crude oil aboard tankers recently seized off Venezuela's coast. The vessels themselves will also remain under US control, he confirmed.
Trump's remarks fuel diplomatic standoff
Speaking to reporters in Florida, Trump stated, "We're going to keep it. Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we'll use it in the Strategic Reserves. We're keeping the ships also." His comments come as Washington intensifies pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to resign.
The Trump administration has long accused Maduro's government of using oil revenues to finance drug trafficking, a claim Caracas dismisses as baseless. Venezuela's foreign ministry condemned the seizures as "piracy" and called for international intervention.
Military operations expand
The US has seized two oil tankers this month, including one over the weekend. The Coast Guard is actively pursuing a third vessel, described by authorities as part of Venezuela's "dark fleet" used to evade sanctions.
"It's moving along, and we'll end up getting it," Trump said, signaling no letup in the campaign.
In a separate operation on Monday, the US military struck a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing one person, according to US Southern Command. No evidence of narcotics was publicly disclosed, drawing scrutiny from Congress over the legality of such strikes.
Trump hints at broader crackdown
When asked if the seizures aimed to force Maduro from power, Trump replied, "Well, I think it probably would... That's up to him what he wants to do. I think it'd be smart for him to do that."
He also warned of future land-based operations, stating, "We'll be starting the same program on land. If they want to come by land, they're going to end up having a big problem. They're going to get blown to pieces, because we don't want our people poisoned."
Maduro retaliated via state television, urging Trump to "deal with economic and social issues in his own country" rather than interfere abroad.
UN emergency session called
Since regaining office in January, Trump has doubled the bounty for Maduro's capture, labeling him "one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world." The administration designated Maduro's government as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) last week and imposed a "blockade" on sanctioned oil tankers.
With Venezuela's economy heavily dependent on oil exports, the measures have provoked outrage in Caracas. At Venezuela's request, the UN Security Council will convene an emergency session on Tuesday to address what officials describe as "ongoing US aggression."
