Venezuela tanker being brought to US as White House considers more seizures

Al JazeeraCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete by Joseph StepanskyDecember 11, 2025 at 09:12 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

In December 2025, the US seized an oil tanker, believed to be the crude carrier Skipper, off the coast of Venezuela. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt announced the vessel would be brought to a US port and the oil seized, citing legal processes. The US claims the tanker was sanctioned in 2022 for aiding Iran's Quds Force and Hezbollah in transporting oil. Leavitt did not rule out future seizures of sanctioned vessels, stating the US will not allow black-market oil to fund "narco-terrorism." Venezuela has condemned the seizure as "international piracy." The action comes amid increased US military presence in the Caribbean and a series of strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the region.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Quds Force 40% Karoline Leavitt 40% Iran ×250% Hezbollah 50% United States ×460% Venezuela ×570% Nicolas Maduro ×480%

Keywords

oil tanker seizure 90% us venezuela relations 80% sanctions 70% black-market oil 60% narco-terrorism 60% international piracy 50% maritime risk 50% military operation 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Venezuela

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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oil tanker seizure us venezuela relations sanctions black-market oil narco-terrorism international piracy maritime risk military operation

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