Overview
- In an NBC interview, President Trump said he does not rule out military conflict and signaled more tanker seizures after last week’s capture of the Skipper.
- The blockade targets only vessels already under U.S. sanctions, yet shipping data show many ‘dark fleet’ tankers rerouting or idling to avoid interdiction.
- Roughly 15,000 U.S. personnel and 11 warships, including the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, remain deployed near Venezuela as operations intensify.
- U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats have destroyed more than two dozen vessels and killed over 100 people since September, prompting Senate demands for orders and unedited footage.
- Venezuela’s government condemned the actions as piracy and a bid to seize national wealth, while U.N. and regional officials called for restraint and de-escalation.