U.S. Seizes Giant Oil Tanker Off Venezuela

The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, with a US-released video showing troops landing on the vessel from a helicopter.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker, identified as the Skipper, had been under sanction for several years as part of an illegal oil‑shipping network accused of funding foreign terrorist groups.

Venezuela condemned the action, calling it “international piracy” and accusing Washington of trying to take control of its natural resources.

In an official release from the Venezuelan government, it stated, “The true reasons behind the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been exposed. It is not migration. It is not drug trafficking. It is not democracy… It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy.”

A senior US military official told CBS that the operation used helicopters launched from the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which is currently positioned in the Caribbean. The United States has increased its presence in the region in recent months, carrying out more than 20 operations against boats it says were smuggling drugs.

When asked about the seized oil, Trump said, “We keep it, I guess.”