Trump expands Venezuela standoff by seizing 'largest' oil tanker
BREAKING: President Trump confirms that the United States has seized a very large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) December 10, 2025
“And other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later, and you’ll be talking about that later with some other people.” pic.twitter.com/wTcYl29MMd
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Wednesday, December 10, announced a sharp escalation in tensions with Venezuela, stating the US had seized an oil tanker off its coast.
Trump described the vessel as "a large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually.”
Tanker seizure confirmed by Donald Trump
President Trump confirmed that the US military had seized an oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast, making this announcement during a White House roundtable on Wednesday.
He did not detail the circumstances of the seizure, but said there would be talk of that "later," adding it was seized for "very good reason."
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 10, 2025
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi posted a video of the operation, emphasizing that it was "conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues." Trump said the US would be keeping the oil from the vessel.
The owner of the tanker was not disclosed, nor was its destination, though China is noted as the main, largely indirect, buyer of Venezuelan oil to circumvent sanctions.
Donald Trump ramps up US military presence in Caribbean
The seizure is part of a wider ramp-up of US military activity in the Caribbean to put more pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Pentagon has been conducting a series of strikes against d**g boats in the area, which it said were flooding the country and had reportedly killed over 80 suspects.
To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2025
Meanwhile, Trump has also hinted at further military action to follow, suggesting that land strikes would be next, and has repeatedly claimed that Maduro’s days “are numbered.”
In a separate escalation last month, Trump also instructed airlines to stop flying over Venezuelan airspace, writing on Truth Social, “To all Airlines, Pilots, D**g Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Pete Hegseth keeps September 2 strike footage under review
At the same time, the administration has been continuing to take heat from Capitol Hill lawmakers over a previous military operation in which a second strike against an alleged drug boat off Venezuela on September 2 killed two survivors.
This incident has led some critics to wonder if US military forces might have committed war crimes.
Top Democrats have called for the video of the strikes, which has been shown to some in closed briefings, to be shown to all of Congress, while others have demanded the unedited video be made public.
When asked earlier about releasing the video, Trump said he had “no problem” releasing what they had, shifting the final decision to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The top Trump official told lawmakers the release of the video remained under review this week. Asked on Wednesday if Hegseth had given a reason for the delay, Trump replied no, adding, “I thought that issue was dead.”
