EXCLUSIVE: US seizes vessel off Venezuelan coast, officials say [View all]
Source: USA Today
Updated Dec. 20, 2025, 12:40 p.m. ET
The United States is interdicting and seizing a vessel off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Saturday, Dec. 20, a move that comes just days after President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
This would mark the second time in recent weeks that the United States has seized a tanker near Venezuela and comes amid a large U.S. military build-up in the region.
The officials, who were speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not say where the operation was taking place but added the Coast Guard was in the lead.
The Coast Guard and Pentagon referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Venezuela's oil ministry and state oil company PDVSA did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/20/exclusive-us-seizes-ship-venezuela/87861284007/
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