Prosecutor Pam Bondi posted on her Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure order against an oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran,” Bondi described. The post is accompanied by a video showing a group of military personnel descending from helicopters and boarding the vessel at sea. Earlier in the day, Trump himself announced the operation at a press conference and indicated that images of the operation would be released by the authorities, as later happened. “As you probably already know, we just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a big, very big tanker,” He said. Prior to Trump's confirmation, the interception of a Venezuelan vessel had been announced, without further information, the tanker has been sanctioned by the United States for several years due to its participation in an illicit oil transportation network that supports terrorist organizations. foreigners.

Therefore, the Trump administration said that “This seizure, carried out off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely, and our investigation, along with the Department of Homeland Security, to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.”

Maduro responds

Nicolas Maduro responded to the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. During an event with farmers and fishermen in Caracas, the Venezuelan president called the operation an act of aggression and asked the population to be prepared to “break the teeth” of the United States in the event of a military intervention. The Venezuelan president denounced the action as part of a White House pressure campaign and asserted that the country would not be intimidated. “Here we stand, with dignity, ready to defend our homeland,” he affirmed.