The U.S. military on Wednesday seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast in an action that has sharply heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas. Bloomberg described the move as a “serious escalation,” warning it could deter shippers from handling Venezuelan cargoes and further limit the country’s ability to export oil.
A Trump administration official told Bloomberg the operation was a “judicial enforcement action on a stateless vessel” that had been docked in Venezuela. President Donald Trump later promoted the seizure at a White House meeting with business leaders, calling the tanker the “largest one ever seized.”
Progressive advocacy group Just Foreign Policy criticized the operation as an “illegal US move to take control of Venezuela’s natural resources and strangle the economy,” saying the action could worsen economic conditions and put millions of civilians at risk. Observers note the tanker seizure is part of a wider pattern of forceful U.S. measures aimed at Venezuela under the Trump administration.
Since September, U.S. operations in waters off Venezuela have included lethal incidents involving people on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to reporting. U.S. officials contend those targeted were drug smugglers and have accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of heading an international trafficking network referred to as the Cartel de los Soles. Many experts, however, say they have found no conclusive evidence that such a formal organization exists.
The administration has also intensified its rhetoric and actions toward Venezuela. Trump has declared Venezuela’s airspace “closed in its entirety,” a claim observers say lacks legal force, and has suggested the possibility of strikes against suspected traffickers on Venezuelan soil.
The tanker seizure and related operations have drawn criticism and concern from international observers, industry groups, and human rights advocates who warn of broader humanitarian and diplomatic consequences if maritime and commercial actors begin avoiding Venezuelan shipments.
This article was originally published by Common Dreams and is republished under a Creative Commons license.
