Venezuela on Wednesday condemned the U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off its coast, calling it an "act of international piracy."
"The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy, publicly announced by the president of the United States, who confessed to the assault of an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea," the government said in an official communiqué.
The statement, published by Correo del Orinoco, a state-run news outlet that regularly carries Venezuela’s official government announcements, framed the seizure as part of a broader campaign against the country’s sovereignty and natural resources.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said a joint operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker that was allegedly being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
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"For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations," she said on X. "This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues."
Bondi released unclassified video footage of the operation that showed a helicopter approaching the large tanker and tactical personnel repelling down a rope onto the deck.
President Donald Trump made the seizure announcement on Wednesday while speaking at a roundtable event at the White House with business leaders.
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"As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized actually," Trump told reporters. "And, other things are happening. So you'll be seeing that later, and you'll be talking about that later with some other people."
"It was seized for a very good reason," he later added.
Asked by a reporter what would happen to the oil aboard the tanker, Trump responded: "Well, we keep it, I guess."
A short time later, he said, "I assume we’re going to keep the oil."
