US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will either retain or sell crude oil seized from tankers off the coast of Venezuela, along with the vessels themselves, as Washington continues to exert pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday, Trump said of the seized oil, “We’re going to keep it… Maybe we will sell it, maybe we will keep it. Maybe we’ll use it in the Strategic Reserves. We’re keeping the ships also.”
The Trump administration has accused Caracas of using oil revenues to fund drug-related crime, while Venezuela has condemned the seizures as “piracy.” This month, the US military has seized two Venezuelan oil tankers, including one over the weekend.
Trump’s remarks came as the US Coast Guard continues to pursue a third tanker, described by authorities as part of a Venezuelan “dark fleet” used to evade US sanctions. “It’s moving along, and we’ll end up getting it,” Trump added.
In a separate development, the US military said it carried out a strike on a vessel in international waters in the eastern Pacific, believed to be involved in trafficking. US Southern Command reported that the strike resulted in one fatality.
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