7 months ago
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U.S. President Donald Trump connected Wednesday (December 10, 2025) said that the United States has seized an lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Venezuela amid mounting tensions with the authorities of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
It is the Trump administration's latest propulsion to summation unit connected Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism successful the United States.
"We've conscionable seized a tanker connected the seashore of Venezuela — a ample tanker, precise large, largest 1 ever seized, actually," Mr. Trump told reporters astatine the White House.
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Mr. Trump said "other things are happening," but did not connection further details, saying helium would talk much astir it later.
The seizure was carried led by the U.S. Coast Guard-led effort and supported by the Navy, according to a U.S. authoritative who was not authorised to remark publically and spoke connected information of anonymity.
A time earlier, the U.S. subject flew a brace of combatant jets implicit the Gulf of Venezuela successful what appeared to beryllium the closest that warplanes had travel to the South American country's airspace since the commencement of the administration's unit campaign.
The U.S. has built up the largest subject beingness successful the portion successful decades and launched a bid of deadly strikes connected alleged drug-smuggling boats successful the Caribbean Sea and eastbound Pacific Ocean.
Mr. Trump has said that onshore attacks are coming soon, but offered nary details connected the location.
Among the concessions the US has made to Maduro during the past negotiations was the support for lipid elephantine Chevron Corp to resume pumping and exporting Venezuelan oil. The corporation's activities successful the South American state resulted successful a fiscal lifeline for Maduro's government.
