The United States is ​interdicting and seizing a vessel off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, three US officials told Reuters on Saturday, a move that comes just days after ‌US President Donald Trump announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Venezuela's oil ministry and state oil company PDVSA did not immediately reply to requests ​for comment. "I ‍am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED ⁠OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela," Trump said on Tuesday. Since the first seizure, Venezuelan crude exports have fallen sharply. For now, the oil market is well supplied and there are millions of barrels of oil on tankers off the coast of China waiting to offload.

Source: The Telegraph December 20, 2025 18:29 UTC