Justice Minister publishes video This is how the storming of the Venezuelan oil tanker went down
The US military recently attacked alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, now it is seizing an oil tanker. Venezuela accuses the USA of targeting the country's natural resources.
11.12.2025, 07:09
11.12.2025, 07:46
dpa
For President Trump, the seizure of the Venezuelan oil tanker is "the largest tanker ever seized", for the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry it is "a brazen robbery and an act of international piracy".
US Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI chief Kash Patel justify the spectacular action by claiming that the ship was part of an illegal oil transport network intended to support foreign terrorist organizations.
Armed soldiers rappelled down onto the tanker.
Image: dpa
A helicopter flew the soldiers to the ship.
Image: dpa
The storming of the tanker marks a new level of escalation.
Image: dpa
Trump has been escalating his tone towards Venezuela for weeks.
Image: dpa
Venezuela's head of state Maduro accuses the USA of targeting his country's oil.
Image: dpa
Armed soldiers rappelled down onto the tanker.
Image: dpa
A helicopter flew the soldiers to the ship.
Image: dpa
The storming of the tanker marks a new level of escalation.
Image: dpa
Trump has been escalating his tone towards Venezuela for weeks.
Image: dpa
Venezuela's head of state Maduro accuses the USA of targeting his country's oil.
Image: dpa
What's the story behind the tanker?
Trump announced in the White House that the USA had "seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela". Attorney General Pam Bondi published a video of heavily armed US soldiers boarding the ship from helicopters. She spoke of a joint operation by the US Coast Guard, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon.
How did the USA justify its actions?
Bondi explained that the tanker was "being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran". The ship has been subject to US sanctions for years because it is "involved in an illegal oil cargo network that supports foreign terrorist organizations". According to US media, the ship was en route to Cuba.
What role does Venezuela play?
Venezuela is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and has the largest oil reserves in the world. The USA had already imposed sanctions against Venezuela's oil sector during Trump's first term in office (2017 to 2021). Since then, a large proportion of Venezuelan exports have gone to China.
What does the incident mean?
It is a clear escalation of tensions between the USA and Venezuela. Since September, US forces have repeatedly attacked boats suspected of being used by drug smugglers in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, killing more than 80 people.
How many armed forces does the USA have deployed?
The military threat is huge: Trump has ordered the largest US aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the coast of Latin America. More than 4,000 sailors and dozens of fighter jets are stationed on it. Additional warships, F-35 fighter jets and B1-B supersonic aircraft have also been deployed to the Caribbean. US bombers regularly fly off the Venezuelan coast.
What is the USA up to?
The self-appointed US "Secretary of War" Pete Hegseth initially spoke of a fight against "drug terrorists". He wrote after one of the attacks that they had "killed more Americans than al-Qaeda" and were being treated in the same way as the Islamist terrorist network after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The USA did not provide any evidence. International law experts and UN representatives call the action unlawful.
How is Venezuela reacting?
Venezuela's controversial ruler Nicolás Maduro accuses Trump of trying to overthrow him. He calls the US military operation "the biggest threat" to Latin America in a hundred years. Trump himself said in an interview this week that Maduro's days were "numbered". He even did not rule out a military operation against Venezuela on the ground.
What is the USA accusing Maduro of?
Trump accuses Maduro of falsifying his re-election in July 2024 and of controlling drug gangs and targeting them against the USA. Unlike its neighbor Colombia, Venezuela does not produce drugs on a large scale, but is considered a transit country. Trump had already tried in vain to get rid of Maduro with sanctions and diplomatic pressure during his first term of office until 2021.
Who is supporting the USA?
The US president is supported by Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado. This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner thanked Trump several times for his efforts.
Is the USA planning an invasion of Venezuela?
Political scientists do not yet believe that Trump is planning a ground offensive in Venezuela following the debacle of the US missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, he wants to "create fear and terror" among the Venezuelan leadership with his military sabre-rattling, says Latin America expert Will Freeman from the Council on Foreign Relations think tank. Republicans from Trump's party had speculated that this could prompt Maduro to resign.
