US President Donald Trump has said that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid rising tensions with President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
"We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the White House.
He said "other things are happening" but did not provide further details, adding that he would speak about the issue at a later time.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said the seizure was led by the US Coast Guard and supported by the Navy.
The move marks the administration’s latest attempt to increase pressure on Maduro, who faces narcoterrorism charges in the United States.
It comes a day after the US military flew a pair of F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be their closest approach to Venezuelan airspace since the start of Trump’s pressure campaign.
Public flight-tracking sites showed the jets spending more than 30 minutes over the body of water, which is bordered by Venezuela, while remaining in international airspace.
Venezuela condemns ‘international piracy’
Venezuela responded by issuing a sharply worded statement condemning the tanker’s seizure as an act of "international piracy."
The government said the move, combined with Trump’s earlier remarks, proves that Washington’s policy toward Caracas is part of "a deliberate plan to plunder our energy resources."
"In these circumstances, the real reasons for the ongoing aggression against Venezuela have finally been exposed. It was never about migration, drug trafficking, democracy or human rights. It has always been about our natural wealth, our oil, our energy, and resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people," the statement said.
Caracas said it will pursue a response at "all existing international bodies."
