The US has imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships said to be carrying Venezuelan oil, a day after seizing a tanker off the country’s coast.
Sanctions have also been placed on some of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's relatives and businesses associated with what Washington calls his illegitimate regime.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the seized vessel, called the Skipper, had been involved in illicit oil shipping and would be taken to an American port.
Caracas has described it as an act of international piracy.
It marks a sharp escalation in the US pressure campaign against Maduro, which has seen dozens killed in strikes on boats alleged to have been carrying drugs from Venezuela. In recent months American warships have been moving into the region.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of funneling narcotics into the US. Venezuela, home to some of the world's largest proven oil reserves, has, in turn, accused Washington of seeking to steal its resources. Maduro vowed that Venezuela would never become an oil colony.
But the White House press secretary told reporters that the US was committed to both stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the country and enforcing sanctions.
Leavitt would not confirm whether the US planned to seize more ships transporting Venezuelan oil, stating, We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world. She added that the US planned to seize the oil on board the Skipper, after the necessary legal process.
In a dramatic display of force, the White House released video footage of the raid, showing camouflaged soldiers boarding the Skipper by helicopter.
The Venezuelan government has strongly denounced the seizure, with Maduro claiming the US kidnapped the crew and stole the ship. He stated, They have ushered in a new era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello labeled the US as murderers, thieves, pirates, accusing it of starting wars globally.
The US Treasury Department had sanctioned the Skipper vessel in 2022 for alleged involvement in oil smuggling that generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.
With thousands of troops and the USS Gerald Ford positioned near Venezuela, the US has ramped up its military presence in the Caribbean ahead of these actions. As tensions mount, officials from both nations continue to exchange harsh rhetoric, highlighting the complexities of US-Venezuela relations.
