Arya News - The United States seized an oil tanker near Venezuela amid ongoing tensions between President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. military seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid ongoing tensions between President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The tanker was among those sanctioned earlier by the Trump administration, Bloomberg reported .
The tanker was seized during a "judicial enforcement action on a stateless vessel" that had docked in Venezuela, an unnamed Trump administration official said, as reported by Bloomberg.
Trump confirmed the tanker"s seizure at the start of a 2 p.m. EST roundtable at the White House.
"We"ve just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela -- the largest tanker ever seized," Trump said at the start of the roundtable meeting.
He said "it was seized for a very good reason" and the "appropriate people" would address the matter when asked for more information by a reporter.
The vessel"s seizure occurred as the Trump administration has been applying pressure on Maduro, whom Trump has accused of being a narco-trafficker and of stealing the country"s 2024 presidential election by declaring himself the winner.
The Trump administration has designated Cartel de los Soles aka Cartel of the Sun a foreign terrorist organization that includes many Venezuelan military and government officials among its leadership.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a carrier strike group to join other U.S. Navy vessels in the Caribbean Sea amid ongoing strikes against small craft departing Venezuela and other nations that are alleged tobe carrying illicit drugs.
The oil tanker"s seizure and the presence of the U.S. military in international waters near Venezuela are likely to discourage oil companies from transporting Venezuelan crude oil.
"Shippers will likely be much more cautious and hesitant about loading Venezuelan crude going forward," Kpler oil analyst Matt Smith told CNBC .
The Trump administration also has advised international airlines to be cautious when approaching Venezuela, which has caused many to suspend operations there.