Donald Trump revealed that the U.S. might sell crude oil seized along with oil tankers near Venezuela's coast and threatened possible attacks on drug traffickers on land.
Foreign news agencies reported that Donald Trump, the U.S. president, said during an interview with reporters in Florida on Monday (22 Dec 2025) that the U.S. would keep the crude oil contained in oil tankers seized off Venezuela's coast, along with the vessels themselves, and might sell the oil.
The U.S. president's remarks came as the Washington government continues to pressure Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's leader, to step down.
"We will keep it," Trump said about the crude oil, adding, "We might sell it, or we might keep it ourselves, or maybe put it into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and we will also seize those ships."
This month, the U.S. military seized two oil tankers off Venezuela's coast, the latest on Saturday. The U.S. government accused Venezuela of using oil sales revenue to support drug-related crime, while Venezuela condemned the seizures as "pirate-like" behavior.
Trump issued the latest warning as the U.S. Coast Guard continues to pursue a third oil tanker, which authorities say is part of Venezuela's "dark fleet" used to evade U.S. sanctions. "It is moving, and eventually we will catch it," Trump said.
Additionally, on Monday, the U.S. military reported it had attacked a vessel suspected of smuggling in international waters east of the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Southern Command reported one fatality from the incident.
When asked if the goal of seizing the oil tankers was to pressure Maduro to leave power, Trump responded, "I think so... It depends on what he wants to do. I think it would be smart if he does, but we will see."
Over recent months, the U.S. has increased military forces in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, conducting attacks on vessels alleged to smuggle Venezuelan drugs, resulting in over 100 deaths.
However, the U.S. has not publicly provided evidence that those ships carried drugs, and the military is under intense congressional scrutiny regarding these attacks.
In a statement on Monday, Trump emphasized that the U.S. intends to also strike land targets. "We will start similar operations on land. If they try to come by land, they will face major problems. They will be blown to bits because we do not want our people to be poisoned by drugs."
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Source:bbc