Trump issues 4-word warning as US troops seize Venezuela tanker | World | News
Donald Trump has issued a subtle warning to Venezuala after US forces seized one of the country’s huge sanctioned oil huge tankers. The daring move is likely to only increase fears of an all-out war between the two countries and marks a major escalation in tensions between them.
Announcing the operation, the US President said: “We’ve just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker – the largest one ever seized, actually. Other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later. We’ll be talking about that later with some other people.” The US has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of presiding over a narco-trafficking operation in Venezuela, an accusation he has strongly denied.
Officials confirmed to Reuters that the US Coast Guard led the operation, though they withheld key details such as the name of the tanker, the flag it was sailing under, and the precise location of the incident.
Meanwhile, the UK-based maritime risk management group Vanguard reported that the vessel believed to have been seized was the tanker Skipper.
This ship had previously been sanctioned by the US for allegedly engaging in Iranian oil trading under the alias Adisa, adding a layer of geopolitical tension to the situation.
At a rally in Caracas, President Maduro avoided mentioning the seizure of the tanker but told supporters that Venezuela is ready to resist the United States if needed.
Surrounded by senior officials, he insisted that only the ruling party can ensure peace, stability, and progress for Venezuela and the wider region.
Most of Venezuela’s oil is ultimately shipped to China, but it rarely goes there directly. Instead, the crude is routed through intermediary countries, where it is resold at discounted rates.
This process allows the oil to bypass restrictions and sanctions, while still finding a major buyer in China. As a result, Venezuela receives less revenue than it would on open markets, but the arrangement ensures its oil continues to flow internationally.
The US has increased pressure on President Maduro by launching aggressive operations against Venezuelan drug smuggling boats and deploying a large military presence in the Caribbean.
While President Trump has publicly stated that his sole objective is to dismantle the drug trade responsible for sending narcotics into the US, many observers believe that these actions also signal an intention to weaken or even remove Maduro from power.
