The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, prompting Caracas to accuse Washington of “blatant theft” as military tensions rise in the Caribbean.

The announcement came amid a major U.S. naval buildup near Venezuela and a series of U.S. strikes on vessels it claims are tied to drug trafficking.

A video released by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces rappelling from a helicopter onto the tanker’s deck before storming the bridge with rifles raised.

“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker — the largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “And other things are happening, so you’ll be seeing that later.”

Bondi said the ship was part of an “illicit oil shipping network” used to transport sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran.

Venezuela denounces ‘international piracy’

Venezuela’s foreign ministry condemned the seizure in a statement, calling it “international piracy” publicly carried out and celebrated by the U.S. president.

American media reported the vessel had been en route to Cuba, another U.S. adversary, when the Coast Guard intercepted it.

The operation marks another escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro, who has accused the U.S. of seeking regime change in Caracas under the guise of anti-drug operations.

Trump’s remarks came a day before Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was scheduled to speak in Oslo after emerging from months in hiding.

Machado, honored for challenging Maduro’s rule, has largely avoided public appearances amid threats against her life. Venezuelan authorities warned she could be arrested as a fugitive if she attempted to re-enter the country following her travel for the Nobel ceremonies.

Trump issued a warning to Caracas on Wednesday.

“I don’t like if she would be arrested. I wouldn’t be happy with it,” he told reporters.

Norway’s government said Machado would make her first public appearance in months at a press conference in Oslo at 0915 GMT on Thursday.

Machado blasts Maduro’s ‘state terrorism’

Machado did not attend Wednesday’s Nobel ceremony, arriving too late to receive the award in person. Her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf and read the opposition leader’s speech, which condemned what Machado called state-sponsored repression in Venezuela.

In the address, she urged Venezuelans to continue resisting “state terrorism” by Maduro’s government and said the struggle for democracy required unflinching resolve.

US military pressure campaign intensifies

The Trump administration has expanded its military operations in the region in recent months. The Pentagon has deployed a fleet of warships and the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, saying the mission is intended to crack down on narcotics trafficking.

U.S. forces have carried out more than 20 lethal strikes on what officials describe as drug-running boats. The attacks have killed at least 87 people, according to U.S. figures.

Washington accuses Maduro of leading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns,” which it labeled a “narco-terrorist” organization last month. Maduro denies the charges and says the United States is using them as a pretext to topple his government and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro’s “days are numbered” and would not rule out a ground invasion.

Maduro shores up military support

Maduro, the successor to the late leftist leader Hugo Chavez, says the United States is intent on regime change and warns that Venezuelans and the armed forces are prepared to resist.

On Saturday, the Venezuelan military swore in 5,600 new soldiers after Maduro called for accelerated recruitment.

Washington maintains that Maduro’s July 2024 re-election was fraudulent — a claim backed by Machado, who has accused the president of stealing the vote.

Machado’s last public appearance before going into hiding was on January 9 in Caracas, where she protested Maduro’s inauguration for a third term.