During a press conference at the White House, Trump said, "Today was an interesting day in the news. We just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela; it is huge, the largest ever captured. You will soon see other events related to this."
Later, he added that the seizure of the tanker occurred for a "very compelling reason," but he did not go into details. Trump also promised that photographs confirming this event would be provided soon.
In response to the president's statement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi published information on social media, indicating that the tanker had been under sanctions for many years due to "involvement in an illegal oil transportation network supporting foreign terrorist organizations."
She reported that the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Coast Guard, with the support of the Department of Defense, executed a warrant to arrest the tanker, which was used to transport oil in violation of sanctions from Venezuela and Iran.
Bondi also added that the seizure of the tanker was carried out "successfully and safely," and the investigation into the case of transporting sanctioned oil would continue.
In response to these actions, the Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning Donald Trump, noting that "the American president has always sought to seize Venezuelan oil without any compensation."
The statement from Caracas emphasized that the true reasons for U.S. aggression against Venezuela "have finally become clear": "It is not about migration, drug trafficking, democracy, or human rights. It is all about our natural resources, our oil, and our energy – resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people."
In recent weeks, the U.S. has increased its military presence off the coast of Venezuela, claiming that the actions are aimed at combating drug trafficking; however, Caracas believes that Washington is seeking regime change to gain control over Venezuela's natural resources, primarily oil.
Sanctions have been imposed on Venezuelan oil, but some companies, such as American Chevron, have exceptions. Chevron continues drilling in various regions of Venezuela and collaborates with the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
Photo on the main page: a frame from a video published by the U.S. Attorney General.
