00:00The Trump administration has taken its Venezuela crackdown to a new level,
00:07seizing what the president calls the largest oil tanker ever taken in a federal crackdown.
00:12During an event at the White House on Wednesday,
00:14the president confirmed the takedown and hinted at more to come.
00:19As you probably know, we've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,
00:26a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever seized, actually.
00:32And other things are happening.
00:35Can you explain a little more about this Venezuelan oil tanker and share a little more information?
00:41Well, I'll let the people do it, but you see the result,
00:43and I guess they probably have released the pictures by now or pretty soon.
00:49You'll discuss that with the appropriate people later on, but no, it was seized for a very good reason.
00:54And now we're seeing video of the operation right here.
00:59Attorney General Pam Bondi posted this video on X,
01:02saying the tanker had been moving sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran
01:06and was part of an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.
01:11She says the seizure was carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Coast Guard
01:17with support from the Department of Defense, and that it was done safely and securely.
01:21U.S. officials say the ship, identified as the skipper,
01:25was intercepted in international waters on Wednesday morning.
01:29They say it was carrying Venezuelan crude from PDVSA
01:32and had been previously linked to smuggling Iranian oil.
01:36A federal judge signed the seizure warrant about two weeks ago,
01:39tied to the vessel's past involvement in that global smuggling network.
01:44Venezuela's government is blasting the seizure,
01:46calling it a bare-faced robbery and an act of international piracy,
01:51aimed at stripping the country of its oil and wealth.
01:54Caracas has repeatedly accused the U.S. of trying to strangle Venezuela's oil industry.
01:59This comes after more than 20 U.S. strikes on boats
02:02the administration says were moving drugs for the Venezuelan military,
02:06operations that have killed more than 80 people since September.
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