President Donald Trump just upped the stakes with Venezuela. Tension between the United States and the Latin American nation, once viewed as the rampart for 21st-century socialism under the late Hugo Chavez, which ended up being a total disaster, has increased over Operation Southern Spear. Trump designated Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, a terrorist organization. Today, the president announced that we seized a Venezuelan oil tanker (via Fox News):
🚨 BREAKING: The United States just seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. @POTUS says "other things are happening so you will be seeing that later."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 10, 2025
💥 pic.twitter.com/SmkPjDYMGP
The U.S. has seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, marking a sharp escalation in tensions with Caracas.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela," Trump said at a White House roundtable. "Large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized action. And, other things are happening. So you'll be seeing that later. And you'll be talking about that later with some other people."
The move is likely to further strain relations with Nicolás Maduro’s government, which already is subject to extensive U.S. sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil sector. It comes after U.S. military strikes have targeted alleged narcotraffickers near Venezuela at least 22 times since September, killing 87 people.
The Trump administration is considering launching land strikes on Venezuelan territory in an effort to further ramp up pressure on Maduro, who the U.S. views as the illegitimate leader of Venezuela and the leader of the Cartel de Los Soles drug trafficking cartel.
Trump recently said Maduro's "days are numbered" and refused to rule out a ground operation in the South American country.
"I don’t want to rule in or out. I don’t talk about it," Trump told Politico Tuesday.
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Our military has been taking out its narcotics vessels in the Caribbean for weeks. Since then, Venezuelan state media has laughably broadcast ‘defensive’ drills in preparation for a potential invasion.
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