The socialist government of Venezuela lashed out Wednesday after the United States seized a heavily sanctioned oil tanker operating near its coastline, accusing President Donald Trump and the U.S. government of what it called “international piracy” suggesting President Trump was a “pirate”.
In a sharply worded statement released through Correo del Orinoco, a state-run media outlet, Venezuela’s regime claimed the seizure amounted to theft of its natural resources and a violation of its sovereignty. Officials portrayed the enforcement action as part of a broader pressure campaign aimed at undermining the country’s oil industry.
U.S. officials, however, made clear that the operation was a lawful and carefully executed enforcement action tied to long-standing sanctions against illicit oil trafficking networks connected to hostile foreign governments.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the tanker was taken under lawful U.S. authority during a joint operation carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Coast Guard, with support from the Defense Department.
Bondi said the tanker had been under U.S. sanctions for several years due to its alleged role in transporting oil linked to Venezuela and Iran—two countries facing strict American sanctions.
“For multiple years, this vessel has been sanctioned because of its involvement in an illegal oil-shipping network that supported foreign terrorist organizations,” Bondi said in a public statement. “The seizure was carried out safely and professionally, and the investigation into sanctioned oil transport is continuing.”
Unclassified video footage released by the Justice Department showed a dramatic offshore operation, including a helicopter hovering over the tanker as tactical personnel descended onto the deck to secure the vessel.
President Donald Trump later confirmed the seizure during a White House roundtable with business leaders, emphasizing both the size of the vessel and the importance of the action.
Trump told reporters that U.S. authorities had recently taken control of a massive oil tanker near Venezuela, noting that it was the largest vessel of its kind ever seized.
The president stressed that the action was fully justified under U.S. law. “It was seized for a very good reason,” he added.
When asked what would happen to the oil aboard the tanker, Trump responded candidly. “Well, we keep it, I guess,” he said, later adding, “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.”
The seizure highlights the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to enforcing U.S. sanctions, disrupting illegal oil networks, and denying authoritarian regimes access to revenue streams used to fund destabilizing activities—despite predictable backlash from governments long accustomed to operating without accountability.