U.S. Realizes It Can Seize Boats After All

After months of extrajudicial killings in the waters off Venezuela, the Trump administration opted instead to capture an oil tanker.

U.S. forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday, two government sources familiar with the matter told The Intercept. President Donald Trump called the boat the “largest one ever seized.”

The capture comes after three months of U.S. military attacks on boats in the region, which have killed at least 87 civilians.

The U.S. government has not yet explained its justification for capturing the Venezuelan vessel.

The two government sources said the operation was led by the U.S. Coast Guard. “We would refer you to the White House for questions,” Lt. Krystal Wolfe, a Coast Guard spokesperson, told The Intercept in response to questions.

“We don’t have a comment,” said a Pentagon spokeswoman, who also referred questions to the White House.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the U.S. once bought much of Venezuela’s oil, that trade was halted in 2019 when the first Trump administration imposed sanctions on the country’s state-owned oil company. While shipments to the United States resumed in 2023, most of Venezuela’s oil is now exported to China. The U.S. has also imposed financial sanctions on the Venezuelan government.