The U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, revealed this Wednesday on the social media platform X the video of the moment when U.S. agencies executed the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, a operation that deepens the growing tension between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro.
In the recording, the joint deployment of the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Coast Guard, and personnel from the Department of Defense is observed, who boarded the vessel under a federal seizure order.
According to Bondi's post, the ship had been under sanctions for years due to its involvement in an illegal network transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran, aimed at financing foreign terrorist organizations identified by Washington.
The official assured that the operation was carried out in a “safe and controlled” manner, and that the investigation is ongoing to prevent the movement of sanctioned crude oil.
An operation that is part of a broader strategy
The seizure of the oil tanker is not an isolated incident. For weeks, the United States has maintained an unusual military presence in the Caribbean, with naval operations, aerial patrols, interceptions of vessels, and enhanced maritime surveillance. All of this occurs alongside a political and judicial campaign against Maduro, who has been accused of drug terrorism by the Department of Justice.
"Our research continues alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil," the official statement indicated. The objective, according to analysts, is to limit the sources of funding for the Venezuelan regime and block its energy alliances with Iran and Russia.
Trump announces that "other things are happening."
A little earlier, President Donald Trump publicly announced the seizure, describing it as “the largest oil tanker ever captured” by U.S. forces.
He pointed out that the action was led by the Coast Guard with support from the Navy, although he refrained from providing additional details. He did, however, indicate that "more things are happening" in relation to Venezuela, referring to undisclosed operations, the agency AP reported.
A pattern of incidents in the region
The operation takes place in a context marked by previous episodes that highlight the escalation:
In November, a Russian tanker sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union abruptly changed its course toward Venezuela when a U.S. warship intersected its path in the Caribbean.
Several international airlines have suspended flights to Venezuela, a situation that IATA described as "delicate" and which has deepened the country's isolation.
The United States has reported multiple operations against vessels "suspected of illicit trafficking," reinforcing its maritime presence under arguments of hemispheric security.
An increasingly militarized Caribbean
The operation against the oil tanker fuels regional concerns about an accelerated increase in tensions in the Caribbean.
Washington claims that its actions aim to "restore democratic stability and security in the hemisphere," but Maduro's government describes them as aggressions intended to justify an intervention.
The truth is that, amidst ship seizures, military overflights, energy sanctions, and naval deployments, the region is experiencing one of its most tense moments in recent years.
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