United States Intercepts Oil Tanker off the Coast of Venezuela

(Patria) - The United States of America yesterday "seized" an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest attack in a pressure campaign against Caracas, the US government said, according to AFP.

This is the second time in two weeks that US forces have intercepted a tanker in the region, coming just days after President Donald Trump announced a blockade of "sanctioned oil vessels" heading to and from Venezuela.

"In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela," said US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a post on social media platform X.

The post was accompanied by a nearly eight-minute aerial video showing a helicopter hovering just above the deck of a large tanker at sea.

In a pre-dawn action early this morning on Dec. 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela.

The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund… pic.twitter.com/nSZ4mi6axc

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 20, 2025

"The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region. We will find you and we will stop you," Noem added.

The New York Times, citing an unnamed US official and two people from the Venezuelan oil industry, reported that the tanker was under a Panamanian flag and was carrying Venezuelan oil, having recently left Venezuela and was in Caribbean waters.

Noem did not share any identifying information about the tanker, and it was not immediately clear whether the intercepted vessel was under US sanctions.

'Waging a battle against lies'

US forces on December 10 seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, which the attorney general said was involved in transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela to Iran.

The United States has been conducting a large military deployment in the Caribbean for months with the stated goal of combating Latin American drug trafficking, but specifically targeting Venezuela.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez expressed defiance at a public event in Caracas broadcast on state television on Saturday, although he did not mention the intercepted vessel.

- We are waging a battle against lies, manipulations, interference, military threats and psychological warfare. That will not intimidate us - the defense minister said.

There are currently eleven US warships in the Caribbean: the world's largest aircraft carrier, an amphibious assault ship, two amphibious transport docks, two cruisers and five destroyers.

US Coast Guard vessels are also deployed in the region, but the service declined to provide data on the ships "for operational security reasons."

Caracas considers this a campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington and many nations consider illegitimate.

The US military has conducted a series of airstrikes since September on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, in which more than 100 people have been killed.