President Trump said the U.S. military seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast as his administration escalates action in the region.
“As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday at a White House roundtable to talk about the economy. “Large tanker. Very large. Largest one ever seized, actually.”
Mr. Trump did not offer more details on the tanker seizure, but said it was “an interesting day” and hinted that more developments could come because “other things are happening.”
He added, “It was seized for a very good reason.”
A U.S. official said the U.S. Coast Guard, backed by the Navy, pulled off the seizure.
The military has been bombing drug cartel boats in the Caribbean since September.
The strikes have drawn cheers from Trump allies and come under fire from Democrats and human rights groups.
Mr. Trump has justified the attacks by saying they’ve reduced drugs flowing into America and declaring cartels foreign terrorist organizations.
In recent months, the president has intensified America’s military presence in the region, ramping up pressure on Venezuela. He said the South American country’s airspace should be considered closed.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, a major aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last month as U.S. military forces boosted numbers in the region not seen for decades.
