""We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening," said Trump, who has been pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Asked what would happen with the oil, Trump said: "We keep it, I guess." In response, the Venezuelan government in a statement accused the U.S. of "blatant theft" and described the seizure as "an act of international piracy". It said it would denounce the incident before international bodies."
"The seizure is the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo amid U.S. sanctions that have been in force since 2019. It is also the Trump administration's first known action against a Venezuela-related tanker since he ordered a massive military buildup in the region. The U.S. has already carried out several strikes against suspected drug vessels, which has raised concerns among lawmakers and legal experts."
The United States executed a seizure of a very large crude tanker transporting sanctioned oil linked to Venezuela and Iran. Federal agencies including the FBI, Homeland Security and Coast Guard, with support from U.S. military forces, carried out the operation under a seizure warrant. Venezuelan authorities denounced the action as blatant theft and an act of international piracy and said they would bring complaints to international bodies. The event is the first known seizure of a Venezuelan oil cargo since 2019 sanctions and follows a U.S. military buildup in the region. A posted video showed helicopters and armed personnel boarding the vessel.
Read at Irish Independent
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