US Seizes Large Venezuelan Oil Tanker

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration's campaign to pressure the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump made the comments to reporters at the White House, describing the vessel as "a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually." He provided no further details on the operation but noted that "other things are happening" and suggested more information would follow. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the seizure was led by the Coast Guard with Navy support and conducted under domestic law enforcement authority.

The action comes amid heightened U.S. military activity in the region. Over the past month, the administration has deployed substantial forces, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean, along with squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers. This represents the largest U.S. naval presence in the area in decades. Since September, U.S. forces have conducted around two dozen strikes on vessels suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and...