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Venezuela on Wednesday condemned the US seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off its coast, calling it an “act of international piracy”.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly condemns and denounces the act of blatant piracy and international piracy publicly declared by the President of the United States, who has confessed to the attack on an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea,” the government said in a statement. official release.
The statement published by Correio del Orinoco, a state news outlet that regularly broadcasts official Venezuelan government announcements, described the seizure as part of a broader campaign against the country’s sovereignty and natural resources.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said a joint operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Coast Guard, in cooperation with the War Department, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker that was allegedly being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
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US forces were seen entering the ship with guns drawn. (via @AGPamBondi x)
“For many years, oil tankers have been sanctioned by the United States for their involvement in illegal oil shipping networks that support foreign terrorist organizations,” he said on X.
Bondy released declassified video footage of the operation that showed a helicopter approaching the large tanker and tactical personnel lowering a rope to the deck.
Newly released footage shows US troops protecting a Venezuelan oil tanker. (via @AGPamBondi x)
President Donald Trump announced the seizure while speaking at a roundtable with business leaders at the White House on Wednesday.
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“As you probably know, we have seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large, in fact the largest tanker ever seized,” Trump told reporters. “And, there are other things happening, too. So you’ll see it later, and you’ll talk about it with some other people later.”
President Donald Trump looks on during a roundtable discussion in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on December 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
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He later said, “It was confiscated for a very good reason.”
Asked by a reporter what would happen to the oil in the tanker, Trump responded: “Okay, I guess, we keep it.”
After a while he said, “I think we’ll keep the oil.”
