January 1, Trump Strikes Hard Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela

Wyatt’s Take

• Trump confirms seizure of oil tanker headed for Cuba.
• Officials say the tanker had false identity and a history of illegal activity.
• Maduro blasts U.S. but doesn’t mention ship directly.

President Trump announced that the United States seized a giant oil tanker near Venezuela’s coast as it headed to Cuba. He called it the largest such action ever and said, “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. Large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized in action.”

Officials explained the ship was captured for “a very good reason.” When asked about what would happen to the oil it carried, Trump remarked, “Well, we keep it, I guess.” Federal agencies including the Coast Guard and FBI were involved in taking over the vessel.

The tanker, called “Skipper,” carried a fake flag and was previously linked to illegal Iranian oil shipments. According to an official, “It was seized because of its past links to smuggling illicit Iranian oil, not because of ties to the Maduro regime, although it was carrying Venezuelan oil.”

Reports say the ship was trying to get Venezuelan oil to Cuba on behalf of a state-run firm. Due to U.S. rules, much of Venezuela’s oil ends up sold to China through back channels.

Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro made a fiery speech but did not mention the tanker. Instead, he threatened that his country is “prepared to break the teeth of the North American empire, if necessary.” News of the seizure caused a small bump in global oil prices.

When government stands up and stops bad actors overseas, it protects the hard work and future of Americans back home. Actions like this help keep our country secure and energy strong.

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Wyatt Matters

Standing tall on the world stage keeps our heartland steady and our families safer. When America acts boldly to stop bad deals, it sends a message that our values won’t be pushed around.