US seized 'very large' tanker near Venezuela, Trump says / Photo: © AFP
US seized 'very large' tanker near Venezuela, Trump says
The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, dramatically escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
The move comes amid a huge US naval build-up in the Caribbean, which Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro says is aimed at regime change, and strikes on alleged drug boats.
"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large -- the largest one ever seized, actually," Trump told reporters at the start of a roundtable with business leaders at the White House.
"And other things are happening, so you'll be seeing that later and you'll be talking about that later with some other people."
US media reported that the tanker was heading for Cuba, another American rival, and was detained by the US Coast Guard.
But Trump would not give any details beyond saying the tanker "was seized for a very good reason."
Trump's announcement came a day before Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was set to address the world from Oslo after coming out of hiding.
Machado, who won the Nobel for challenging Maduro's grip on power in oil-rich Venezuela, has not been seen out in the open for months after threats to her life.
Venezuela had warned she could be arrested as a fugitive if attempting to re-enter the country after traveling for the Nobel, but Trump warned Caracas against any such step.
"I don't like if she would be arrested, I wouldn't be happy with it," Trump told reporters.
- 'State terrorism' -
After saying she was coming to Norway but would not arrive in time for Wednesday's prize ceremony, Machado will make her first public appearance at a press conference in Oslo at 0915 GMT Thursday, Norway's government said.
Accepting the award on Machado's behalf on Wednesday, her daughter delivered her blistering acceptance speech, in which she urged her compatriots to fight for freedom against "state terrorism" by Maduro.
Trump's administration has piled pressure on Maduro in recent months, deploying a fleet of warships and the world's largest aircraft carrier under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
The United States has also carried out deadly strikes on more than 20 alleged drug boats in the region, killing at least 87 people.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged "Cartel of the Suns," which it declared a "narco-terrorist" organization last month.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro's "days are numbered" and declined to rule out a US ground invasion against Venezuela.
Maduro -- the political heir to leftist leader Hugo Chavez -- says the US is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
The Venezuelan army swore in 5,600 soldiers on Saturday after Maduro called for stepped-up military recruitment.
Trump's administration also alleges that Maduro's hold on power is illegitimate and that he stole Venezuela's July 2024 -- a claim backed by opposition leader Machado.
Since going into hiding, Machado's only public appearance was on January 9, in Caracas, where she protested against Maduro's inauguration for his third term.
(P.Hansen--DTZ)
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