In a continued enforcement of maritime sanctions against Venezuela, United States naval personnel conducted a second interception of a commercial tanker in international waters off the Venezuelan coastline on Saturday. According to senior American defense officials who spoke under condition of anonymity, the vessel complied voluntarily with the boarding procedure.
This operational development follows President Donald Trump’s recent announcement implementing a comprehensive blockade targeting all oil tankers operating under Venezuelan sanctions. The current interception represents the second such military action within days, succeeding the December 10th seizure of another oil tanker in the same maritime region.
The anonymous briefing, provided by officials lacking authorization to publicly discuss ongoing military operations, confirms the sustained enforcement of Washington’s economic measures against the Venezuelan government. The strategic maritime operations demonstrate the tangible implementation of previously announced sanctions policies through direct naval intervention.
This escalation in naval enforcement activities highlights the continuing geopolitical tensions surrounding Venezuela’s oil exports, which remain central to both the nation’s economy and the administration’s foreign policy approach toward the South American country.