More than 30 ships in Venezuela have been sanctioned by the US.

A Venezuelan oil tanker. Photo: Getty.

This is the first seizure carried out by the U.S. military targeting an oil shipment from Venezuela — a country sanctioned by Washington since 2019 — and marks the Trump administration’s first action against a Venezuela-linked oil tanker since the President ordered a large-scale military buildup in the region.

Previously, Washington had never intervened in Venezuela’s oil exports, which were transported by intermediaries using third-party vessels. The U.S. move is intended to increase pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government, placing more than 30 oil tankers operating in Venezuela at risk of severe penalties.

In response, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Caracas government issued an official statement declaring that the U.S. action directly violates Venezuela’s national sovereignty. They stressed that this act targets natural resources owned by the Venezuelan people, particularly oil. Caracas affirmed it will strongly protest through international organizations to denounce violations of international law and infringements on its sovereignty.

The escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have raised investor concerns that oil prices may surge in the near future. In the same trading session, Brent crude rose approximately 0.4% to around USD 62.21 per barrel, while U.S. WTI crude increased by a similar margin, closing at roughly USD 58.46 per barrel.

These developments are being viewed as an additional “geopolitical risk factor” in a supply–demand landscape already sensitive due to ongoing instability affecting major oil-exporting countries such as Iran and Russia.