On Wednesday, Venezuela issued a strong condemnation of the United States’ seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker located off its coast, labeling the action as “international piracy.”
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela vehemently denounces and rejects this blatant act of theft and international piracy, publicly acknowledged by the U.S. President, who admitted to the assault on an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea,” declared the Venezuelan government in an official statement.
This announcement, disseminated through Correo del Orinoco—a government-operated news source that frequently publishes Venezuela’s official statements—portrayed the seizure as part of a larger campaign against the nation’s sovereignty and its natural resources.
Attorney General Pam Bondi explained that a coordinated operation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with assistance from the Department of Defense, executed a seizure warrant on a crude oil tanker allegedly used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
U.S. forces were seen boarding the vessel with guns drawn. (@AGPamBondi via X)
“For several years, the oil tanker has been under U.S. sanctions due to its role in an illicit oil smuggling network that supports foreign terrorist groups,” Bondi stated on X. “This operation, carried out off Venezuela’s coast, was executed safely and securely. Our investigation, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, to halt the transport of sanctioned oil, is ongoing.”
Bondi released unclassified video footage of the operation that showed a helicopter approaching the large tanker and tactical personnel repelling down a rope onto the deck.
Newly released footage shows U.S. forces securing a Venezuelan oil tanker. (@AGPamBondi via X)
President Donald Trump made the seizure announcement on Wednesday while speaking at a roundtable event at the White House with business leaders.
“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually,” Trump told reporters. “And, other things are happening. So you’ll be seeing that later, and you’ll be talking about that later with some other people.”
President Donald Trump looks on during a roundtable discussion in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 10, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“It was seized for a very good reason,” he later added.
Asked by a reporter what would happen to the oil aboard the tanker, Trump responded: “Well, we keep it, I guess.”
A short time later, he said, “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”
