U.S. Seizes Massive Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off Venezuela, Crushing Illicit Iran–Venezuela Smuggling Network

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In a dramatic escalation of U.S. pressure on hostile regimes, federal forces intercepted and seized a massive crude-oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela—one of the largest ever captured. President Trump confirmed the operation from the White House, calling it a major blow to an international smuggling network that moved sanctioned oil from both Venezuela and Iran to fund foreign terrorist organizations. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Coast Guard executed the warrant with military support, neutralizing what officials described as a “stateless vessel” deeply embedded in years of illicit energy trade. The move jolted global markets, lifting Brent crude prices, and signaled Washington’s readiness to disrupt rogue-state financing far beyond U.S. shores.

Bloomberg: US forces intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela — large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,” President Donald Trump said at the White House. “And other things are happening.” A senior Trump administration official referred to the craft as “a stateless vessel” that was last docked in Venezuela. Bloomberg News was first to report the seizure. Oil futures rose on the news, with Brent crude settling up 0.4% in London (Bloomberg).

Attorney General Pam Bondi: Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues (Bondi w/video).



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