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Venezuela; 'THIEF LIAR Pirate Trump Wants Our OIL' as US Seize Oil Tanker
Venezuela Decries Act of Piracy After Trumps Forces Seize Oil Tanker Off Countrys Coast
Footage uploaded by US attorney general shows its forces landing on the tanker in major escalation of Trumps pressure campaign
The Guardian 12 DEC 2025
US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, in a major escalation of Donald Trumps four month pressure campaign against the South American countrys dictator, Nicol?s Maduro, whose government called the seizure an act of international piracy
Trump confirmed the operation on Wednesday, saying We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized actually
It was seized for a very good reason he added, declining to say who owned the vessel.
In an accompanying statement, Bondi said the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the US Coast Guard, with support from the Department of Defense, had executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran
She said the tanker had been sanctioned by the US for multiple years due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations
The seizure is the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo amid US sanctions that have been in place since 2019. It is also the Trump administrations first known action against a Venezuela related tanker since he ordered a massive military buildup in the region.
The Department of Homeland Security posted its own video edit of the seizure, soundtracked with an excerpt from LL Cool Js song Mama Said Knock You Out. DHS has repeatedly faced criticism for poaching music for Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ads. DHS recently used a Sabrina Carpenter song, without permission, prompting the pop star to respond that the video was evil and disgusting
LL Cool J did not immediately address the use of his song.
Venezuelas government said in the statement that the seizure constitutes a blatant theft and an act of international piracy
It continued Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed ? It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people.
Earlier, speaking at a rally in Caracas, Maduro urged citizens to act like warriors and be ready to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary
Nobel Peace Prize
On Wednesday, Gonzlezs most important backer, the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, was awarded the Nobel peace prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a peaceful and just transition from dictatorship to democracy..
Trump was furious it was not awarded to him
Machados daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, accepted the prize, telling a ceremony in Oslo that her mothers struggle to end years of obscene corruption and brutal dictatorship would go on.
Venezuela Will Soon be Democratic And Free.. Maria Corina Machado Says From Oslo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC8840zX5J0
Venezuela has the worlds largest proven reserves of oil and, although years of mismanagement and corruption have done severe damage to its oil industry, oil exports remain Venezuelas main source of revenue. The main customer is China.
Former chief Latin America adviser, Juan Gonzlez, said that at around the time of last years election he had pushed for the US to station two navy destroyers off Venezuelas coast and even impose an oil blockade
That never happened, but Gonzlez believed one possible way out of the current crisis might be for the Trump administration to push Maduro into accepting a recall referendum, perhaps in 2027, but threatening real hardline consequences such as a blockade if the result was not respected.
I think it is potentially a viable option where there should be a very credible and aggressive snapback associated with it, Gonzlez said, adding Imposing an oil blockade would shut down the entire economy.
Its less aggressive than a land strike but its still considered an act of war, added Gonzlez, who was the national security councils senior director for the western hemisphere during the Biden administration.
Trump could take unilateral action by blocking oil tankers from leaving or entering the country, and that I think would precipitate Maduros departure
Maduro says the real reason for Trumps Venezuela fixation is oil..... That Devil is not going to win
The grainy, unclassified 45 second video shows US forces landing on the tanker from a helicopter.
Venezuela; 'THIEF LIAR Pirate Trump Wants Our OIL'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p9Qkvo510A
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