US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government.
“We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela – a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Releasing a video of the seizure, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the vessel as a “crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran”.
🚨 BREAKING: Video has been released of US forces SEIZING CONTROL of a massive oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela
Per President Trump, this is the LARGEST tanker ship ever seized.
The DOJ and FBI believe this ship was being used to deliver sanctioned oil from Venezuela to… pic.twitter.com/VlLVIMprmO
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 10, 2025
🚨 Q: What happens to the oil on the tanker you seized near Venezuela?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: We keep the oil, I guess! 🤣
Q: Where does it go?
TRUMP: You're a good news man. Just get a helicopter and go follow the tanker!
He is the best 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Dp9duwUxT7
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 10, 2025
