U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that American forces have seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a fresh escalation in already heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas.
“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large the largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump announced at the start of a roundtable with business leaders at the White House.
He offered no further details, saying only that “other things are happening” and that more information would emerge later.
The development comes on the eve of Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado’s scheduled address from Oslo, her first major public appearance since emerging from hiding.
The Trump administration has intensified pressure on President Nicolás Maduro in recent months, deploying warships and a heavy military presence in the Caribbean under the banner of counter-narcotics operations.
U.S. forces have conducted strikes on more than 20 alleged drug-running vessels, resulting in at least 87 deaths.
Washington has accused Maduro of heading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns,” which the U.S. designated a terrorist organization last month.
In an interview with Politico on Monday, Trump said Maduro’s “days are numbered” and refused to rule out the possibility of a U.S. ground invasion.
Venezuela, meanwhile, maintains that Washington is pursuing regime change and attempting to seize control of its vast oil resources.
Amid rising tensions, the Venezuelan military inducted 5,600 new soldiers on Saturday following Maduro’s call for expanded recruitment.