White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said the oil tanker seized off the coast of Venezuela will be taken to a U.S. port, raising the possibility that the U.S. could seize more sanctioned vessels in the region.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Levitt referred to the previous day’s U.S. military operation to seize the tanker. He explained that the United States intends to continue loading oil on the ship despite Venezuela’s protests.
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“The ship is going to enter a U.S. port and the U.S. is going to seize the oil,” Levitt told reporters, adding that proper legal procedures would be followed.
She did not exclude the possibility of similar actions in the future. Observers claimed Tuesday’s seizure of the tanker was an escalation of the U.S. pressure campaign against the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
“We will not stand by while sanctioned ships sail with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism by rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” Levitt said.
The U.S. government has not officially identified the tanker, but British maritime risk firm Vanguard said it appeared to be a crude oil carrier called Skipper.
The tanker was sanctioned in 2022 for allegedly helping Iran’s Quds Force and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah transport oil.
The city of Caracas called the seizure an “international act of piracy.”
The United States has ramped up its military assets to the Caribbean region in recent months, fueling speculation that President Donald Trump’s administration may step up aggressive action against Maduro.
Since September 2, President Trump has also conducted 22 known airstrikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean. The bombing campaign left at least 87 people dead and sparked protests over possible violations of international law.
President Trump has threatened in multiple media appearances to continue a bombing campaign on mainland Venezuela, possibly to stop suspected drug traffickers.
At a Cabinet meeting on December 2nd, President Trump stated, “We intend to launch attacks on land as well.”
“You know, land is much easier. Much easier. And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad guys live, and we’re going to start doing that right away, too.”
But experts rejected claims that Venezuela is a major source of drugs smuggled into the United States.
President Maduro has said the pressure campaign is aimed at overthrowing the regime.
President Putin expresses “solidarity” with Venezuela
Also on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia’s support for Venezuela in a telephone conversation with President Maduro, according to the Kremlin.
“President Vladimir Putin expressed his solidarity with the Venezuelan people,” the Kremlin said in a readout.
It added that the Russian leader “affirmed its support for the Maduro regime’s policies aimed at defending national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure.”
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government said in a statement that Maduro and Putin “reaffirmed the strategic, strong and growing nature of bilateral relations.”
The newspaper said the Russian president affirmed his commitment to Venezuela’s sovereignty and “reiterated that direct channels of communication between the two countries remain forever open.”
The threat of U.S. military action has focused new attention on Venezuela’s allies, which have dwindled in recent years. Currently, only Nicaragua and Cuba in Latin America maintain close relations with Venezuela.
Elsewhere in the region, Caracas maintains close ties with Russia and China, and ties with Iran have strengthened in recent years amid shared opposition to US policies.
Critics have accused the Trump administration of using military pressure to open Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to the United States and Western companies, a charge that U.S. officials deny.
