US Detains Second Oil Tanker Off the Coast of Venezuela

SadaNews - The United States announced that it has detained a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, as President Donald Trump's administration intensifies its pressure on Caracas by imposing an oil blockade.

Last week, U.S. forces seized the first oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, an operation condemned by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who described it as "maritime piracy".

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristjen Nielsen stated in a post on the social media platform "X" that "in a pre-dawn operation early on December 20, the U.S. Coast Guard, supported by the Department of Defense, detained an oil tanker that last docked in Venezuela".

She attached an eight-minute video that shows aerial footage of a helicopter hovering over a large oil tanker at sea.

Nielsen added, "The United States will continue to pursue illicit oil transfers under sanctions that are used to finance terrorism linked to drug trafficking in the region. We will find you, and we will stop you".

For its part, the "New York Times" reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official and officials in the Venezuelan oil sector, that the tanker flying the Panamanian flag is carrying Venezuelan oil, has recently left Venezuela, and was in Caribbean waters.

Nielsen did not disclose any identifying information about the tanker, and it was not immediately clear whether the intercepted vessel is subject to U.S. sanctions.

Earlier in the past week, Trump announced a "comprehensive blockade" on oil tankers subject to U.S. sanctions sailing from and to Venezuela, stating in an interview broadcast on Friday that he does not rule out the possibility of launching a war against the Latin American nation.

The United States accuses Nicolas Maduro of leading a drug trafficking network, a claim he denies, and has intensified economic and military measures to pressure Caracas.

Washington has deployed a large military force in the region and has conducted a series of strikes targeting boats suspected of being affiliated with drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.

For his part, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez expressed defiance in remarks made during a public event in Caracas, broadcast on state television on Saturday, although he did not refer to the detained ship.

Lopez stated, "We are engaged in a battle against lies, manipulation, intervention, military threats, and psychological warfare," adding, "We will not be intimidated by that".