The U.S. has seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (10 December), a move that sent oil prices higher and sharply escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas.
"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".
The seizure is the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo during 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.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that the FBI, Homeland Security and Coast Guard, along with support from the U.S. military, carried out a seizure warrant for a crude tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
A 45-second video posted by Bondi showed two helicopters approaching a vessel and armed individuals in camouflage rappelling onto it.
Trump administration officials did not name the vessel or disclose its location at the time of the seizure.
British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Skipper was believed to have been seized off Venezuela early on Wednesday.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the tanker for what it says was involvement in Iranian oil trading when the vessel was called the Adisa.
The Skipper left Venezuela's main oil port of Jose between 4- 5 December after loading some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuela's Merey heavy crude.
It transferred about 200,000 barrels near Curacao to the Panama-flagged Neptune 6 bound for Cuba before the seizure, according to satellite information analysed by TankerTrackers.com.
Guyana's maritime authority said Skipper was falsely flying the country's flag. The vessel had transported Venezuelan oil to Asia between 2021 and 2022, the PDVSA data showed.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key I...
The U.S. Department of Defense has released a video of a submarine strike on an Iranian warship off the southern Sri Lankan coast. At least 80 peop...
Rising tensions in the Middle East are beginning to affect Kazakhstan’s economy and citizens, disrupting grain trade across the Caspian Sea a...
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the country’s expanding gas exports to Europe and its ...
Tehran residents walk past the ruins of buildings destroyed by U.S.-Israeli&nb...
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine has sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters. The Sri Lankan navy carried out a rescue operation for dozens of sailors in the wake of the strike.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose a full U.S. trade embargo on Spain on Tuesday after the European and NATO ally refused to let the U.S. military use its bases for missions linked to strikes on Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The Israeli military deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon overnight, to take up what a military spokesperson on Tuesday (3 March) described as "defensive positions" aimed at protecting Israeli civilians and strategic sites from potential Hezbollah attacks.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine has sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters. The Sri Lankan navy carried out a rescue operation for dozens of sailors in the wake of the strike.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh was hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire and some material damage, the kingdom's defence ministry said in a post on X on Tuesday, citing an initial assessment.
The U.S.-Iran crisis has entered its third day, with further strikes reported across the Middle East and the death toll rising. Oil prices have surged to levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, raising fears of economic disruption and higher prices worldwide.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is making gains in its conflict with Iran after a key Iranian naval target was destroyed, confirming that the strike was carried out by a U.S. submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka. Rescue efforts are now under way for the ship’s crew.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment