This is the dramatic moment when US commandos stormed a Venezuelan oil tanker in a breathtaking airborne takedown amid ratcheting tensions in the Caribbean.
Footage released by the Trump administration on Wednesday showed American forces swooping on the tanker in helicopters and rappelling down ropes.
Troops with guns drawn darted up stairs to the bridge to take control of the vessel off the coast of Venezuela.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement on X: ‘Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
‘For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.’
The release of the video comes hours after it was reported on Wednesday that the tanker had been seized, sparking fears of a potential blockade and spiking oil prices. No name was given for the ‘stateless’ vessel, nor was it confirmed precisely where off the coast of Venezuela the raid unfolded.
Trump called it ‘the largest one ever seized’ and warned that ‘other things are happening.’
The capture sent oil prices climbing sharply, with Brent crude rising 1.21 per cent to $62.69 a barrel amid fears the escalation could disrupt global supply.
Venezuela is one of the largest suppliers of oil to China, which has been the destination of between 55 per cent and 90 per cent of the country’s oil exports.
A Bloomberg report called the move ‘a serious escalation’ after Trump demanded Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro step down. Caracas did not immediately respond.
Footage released by the Trump administration on Wednesday showed American forces swooping on the tanker in helicopters and rappelling down ropes
This is the dramatic moment that US commandos stormed a Venezuelan oil tanker in a breathtaking airborne takedown amid ratcheting tensions in the Caribbean
Troops with guns drawn darted up stairs to the bridge to take control of the vessel off the coast of Venezuela
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement on X: ‘Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran’
Troops are seen ascending stairs to the bridge of the vessel
Footage shows US forces bearing down on the tanker inside a helicopter
The Venezuelan ‘terror tanker’ seen from above. The ship has been ferrying illicit oil from Venezuela and Iran
When asked about what the US will do with the oil seized from the Venezuelan tanker, Trump said, ‘We keep it.’
This week’s seizure marks the first time the Trump administration has moved to interfere with the country’s oil distribution amid the hostile pressure campaign.
When a reporter on Wednesday asked Trump about who owns the seized oil tanker, the President responded, ‘You’ll get that information later.’
Venezuela’s main source of annual revenue comes from oil exports abroad to Russia, China, and other Caribbean nations.
Last month, Maduro’s regime exported more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day.
Meanwhile, as Venezuela scrambles to preserve its fossil-fuel empire, Trump has ordered dozens of lethal military strikes on alleged drug-running boats departing the country.
More than 80 people have been killed in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the strikes aimed at combating drug trafficking.
Trump has previously hinted at launching US ground forces in Venezuela as part of the administration’s efforts to target alleged narco-terrorists in the region.
Donald Trump bragged about seizing Venezuela’s largest oil tanker during a White House press conference on Wednesday
The seizure comes as the administration has launched a series of strikes since early September against alleged Venezuelan drug boats that have killed 80 people
Trump has positioned a fleet of Naval warships across the Caribbean Sea around Venezuela
‘We’re going to start doing those strikes on land, too,’ Trump told reporters last week at a Cabinet meeting.
‘You know, the land is much easier … And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we’re going to start that very soon, too.’
It comes amid fears that the military tensions could soon expand to other countries in Latin America as Trump on Wednesday also fired a chilling new warning at the Colombian president – who he calls a ‘drug dealer’.
‘He’s gonna have himself some big problems if he doesn’t wise up. Colombia is producing a lot of drugs,’ Trump said. ‘He better wise up or he’ll be next … I hope he’s listening – he’s going to be next.’
Trump earlier this week said he would not ruled out strikes inside Mexico and Colombia to combat drug cartels – the former is the largest exporter of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, and the latter the biggest source of cocaine into the US.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is facing a barrage of criticism for approving strikes on Venezuelan drug ships – and especially regarding the now-infamous follow-up strike on survivors during an attack on September 2.
The controversy all stems from the strike against a vessel in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration claimed was carrying cocaine en route to the US.
A US missile strike disabled the speedboat and killed most on board. But two survivors were observed clinging to the wreckage and appeared to attempting to radio for help.
Pentagon officials have justified the administration’s action by arguing the decision to authorize the second strike was based on a perceived ongoing threat.