Trump admin's new video of Venezuelan oil tanker seizure amid tensions - Watch
Unclassified footage shows helicopters boarding tankers; seizure escalates Venezuela-U.S. standoff
The US Coast Guard (USCG), backed by the military and other government agencies, captured a huge, sanctioned oil ship off the coast of Venezuela, signed off by Donald Trump on December 10.
The administration released a 45-second video showing helicopters approaching the vessel and armed personnel rappelling onto its deck.
Trump announced the seizure and called the tanker “the largest tanker ever seized,” adding, “other things are happening.”
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,” he said. When asked about the cargo, he added, “We keep it, I guess.”
Officials say the vessel was transporting sanctioned crude oil linked to networks that feed Venezuela and Iran, as well as businesses that the US considers to be supportive of foreign terrorist organizations.
Read more: Trump says the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela
U.S. force build-up and regional pressure on Venezuela
The tanker seizure is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's stepped-up military and sanctions assault against Nicolás Maduro's regime.
Since mid-2025, the United States has deployed warships, aircraft carriers, and naval assets throughout the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, claiming counter-narcotics operations and the enforcement of sanctions.
The seizure of the merchant vessel laden with oil, instead of targeting weapons or drugs, breaks new ground in U.S. tactics. Sanctions have already harmed Venezuela's economy; cutting off oil shipments may jeopardize the government's capacity to generate hard cash.
According to reports cited by Politico, the tanker seizure is part of a broader crackdown by the U.S. It is viewed as a “ramping up” of pressure on Maduro, shifting from purely financial sanctions to direct military-interdiction of oil exports.
Read more: F-16s being scrambled from Andrews base? New claims amid US-Venezuela tensions
Venezuela's reaction and oil markets
According to a Reuters report, the Venezuelan government described the U.S. tanker seizure as a “blatant theft” and vowed to defend its “sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination.”
The statement said Caracas would denounce the incident before international organisations.
According to Reuters, oil prices "jumped" in the hours following the US interdiction, suggesting concerns among purchasers and dealers who rely on Venezuelan crude that supply routes could be disrupted. Brent crude futures rose nearly 0.4 per cent, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also posted gains on supply-disruption fears after the seizure.
