Trump says the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela amid rising tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

This is the latest effort by the Trump administration to increase pressure on Maduro, who is accused of drug terrorism in the United States.

“We just seized a tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and it’s a very large tanker, the largest that has ever been seized,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said that “other things are happening,” but did not provide additional details, saying that he would talk about them more later.

The seizure was led by the U.S. Coast Guard and supported by the Navy, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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The previous day, the US military flew two fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela in what appeared to be the closest warplanes have been to the South American country’s airspace since the administration’s pressure campaign began.

The United States has reinforced its largest military presence in the region in decades and launched a series of deadly strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

Trump said ground attacks would come soon, but did not provide any details about the location.

Among the concessions made by the United States to Maduro during the past negotiations was approval for the giant oil company Chevron to resume pumping and exporting Venezuelan oil. The company’s activities in the South American country have resulted in a financial lifeline for the Maduro government.