President Trump says US will continue to seize oil and tankers near Venezuela

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will continue seizing oil and tankers near Venezuela.

“We’re going to keep it,” President Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, after unveiling a new battleship bearing his name.

President Trump said of the seized oil, “We may sell it, we may store it, we may use it for strategic stockpiles.” “We also have a ship in storage.”

President Trump has ordered the blockade of sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela as he ramps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.

On December 10, the United States seized a large tanker that was carrying more than 1 million barrels of oil, according to energy consulting firm Kpler. A second ship was seized over the weekend. President Trump acknowledged on Monday that the United States was tracking a third tanker.

President Trump said of the tanker: “We’re making progress. We’ll eventually capture it.” “It came from the wrong place. It came from Venezuela, and it was sanctioned.”

Asked if Maduro’s ultimate goal was to oust the Venezuelan president, Trump said it would be “wise” for Maduro to resign.

Venezuela is a founding member of OPEC and has the world’s largest proven oil reserves. It has exported about 749,000 barrels per day this year, with more than half going to China, according to Kpler data.

The United States undertook a large-scale military buildup in the Caribbean. The Trump administration launched deadly attacks on boats it accused of trafficking drugs into the United States. The legality of these attacks has been questioned and is subject to scrutiny by Congress.

President Trump threatened on Monday to expand the attack on the ground.

“We plan to start the same program in athletics,” he said. “If they want to come by land, they’re going to end up in big trouble. They’re going to get blown to pieces, because we don’t want our people to be poisoned.”