The tanker seized off the Venezuelan coast by the US is called “The Skipper”, three sources tell CBS, the BBC’s US media partner.

As we’ve been reporting, US Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged the vessel, which was carrying oil, has been involved in an “involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations”.

Here’s the clip, posted by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, which appears to show the US’s seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela:

A 45-second clip, posted by US Attorney General Pam Bondi on X, appears to show the ship’s seizure as it sails off the coast of Venezuela.

The clip includes images of helicopters approaching a tanker and what appear to be US troops boarding the vessel.

Here are some stills from that footage:

US Attorney General Pam Bondi has posted more information about the seizure on social media, saying the tanker has been sanctioned for many years due to its “involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations”.

She says the the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and US Coast Guard – with support of the Department of Defence – “executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran”.

Bondi, the nation’s top prosecutor who leads the US Department of Justice, adds the seizure off the coast Venezuela was “conducted safely and securely” and that an investigation into “the transport of sanctioned oil” will continue.

Her remarks are accompanied by a video purporting to show the seizure – we’ll bring you more on this shortly.

Trump is a long-time critic of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who he accused of being a “horrible dictator” in a Fox News interview earlier this year.

When asked whether he was demanding that Maduro leave office, Trump said: “We’re going to work on that policy.”

For months, the US military has been building up a force of warships, fighter jets, bombers, Marines, drones and spy planes in the Caribbean Sea – its largest deployment there in decades.

And the US has been conducting air strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific in recent months, which the administration says are necessary to stem the flow of drugs.

Trump has accused Maduro of being the leader of a drug-trafficking organisation – which Maduro denies – and authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.

Trump has also said that the US is “looking at land now”, referring to possible military operations on Venezuelan soil.

In August the US upped its bounty for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50m (£38m).

Venezuela speculates over goal of US actionpublished at 21:56 GMT

Ione Wells
South America correspondent

While the US has always claimed its military build-up in theCaribbean is about tackling drug-trafficking, there has been much speculationabout what other potential goals it may have.

Many analysts say it is about puttingmilitary pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro to resign, while the Venezuelan government has accused the US of trying to grabVenezuelan oil reserves.

This is a view shared by some in the region too. A Venezuelanman in Caracas told the BBC on Tuesday that while he was not a fan of theVenezuelan government, he believed the US was “coming for the gold, for thecountry’s riches, the oil”.

While a tanker being seized – often because of sanction violations – is not unprecedented, this latest US move may further fuel the Venezuelangovernment’s argument.

There are widespreadsanctions on Venezuelan oil, although some companies are exempt. The US company Chevron operates in the country and drills inmany parts of Venezuela.

It pays the government with some of the oil itproduces alongside the state oil company, PDVSA, via joint ventures between thecompanies.

The US has given Chevron a licence to exempt it fromsanctions.

Over the past few months, Trump has been ramping up pressure on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.

Reducing immigration has been a priority for Trump, and he blames Maduro for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants into the US.

Trump has also focused on reducing the flow of illegal drugs – especially fentanyl and cocaine – into the US.

His administration has deployed 15,000 troops and a range of aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers and amphibious assault ships to the Caribbean Sea, arguing it is involved in a non-international armed conflict with alleged drug traffickers.

Since early September, US forces have carried out more than 20 strikes in international waters on boats alleged to have been carrying drugs, killing more than 80 people, and describing those on board as “narco terrorists”. But legal experts have said the strikes are unlawful.

Trump has also designated two Venezuelan criminal groups – Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles – as Foreign Terrorist Organisations and has alleged that the latter is led by Maduro himself.

Maduro has vehemently denied being a cartel leader and has accused the US of using its “war on drugs” as an excuse to try and depose him and get its hands on Venezuela’s vast reserves of oil.

Asked what will happen to the oil on the seized tanker, Trump says: “Well, we keep it, I guess.”

“I assume we’re going to keep the oil,” he later adds.

Venezuela has some of the world’s largest proven oil deposits and its president, Nicolás Maduro, has previously accused the US of trying to get its hands on the country’s reserves.

Trump is taking more questions from reporters – this time he’s asked who owns the tanker that was seized.

“You’ll get that information later,” he reiterates.

He’s also says he has not spoken to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro since their phone call last month.

Asked whether by a reporter if the US will keep the oil on the tanker, Trump tells the reporter: “Follow the tanker.”

Trump has just been asked by reporters about the US seizing a tanker near Venezuela.

“It was seized for a very good reason,” he says, without offering further detail.

Pictures should be released shortly, he adds, and more information will come later.

Latest US action could indicate new phase of Venezuela operationspublished at 20:50 GMT

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

You don’t have to dig too deep into the history books to learn that maritime confrontations can start wars. The US involvement in Vietnam escalated after an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin.

There still is little known about the US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. But the action could indicate that American actions in the region – where more than 15,000 US military personnel currently operate – are entering a new, more intensive phase.

Another point to note is how oil futures have also spiked. Trump frequently boasts about how petrol prices have dropped from Biden-era highs. This could turn that around.

The situation presents serious questions, not the least of which is the justification – legal and political – for the US seizure. Is it the first step in a naval blockade of the South American nation? Was the tanker flying a Venezuelan flag? What does the US intend to do with the vessel – the “largest one ever seized,” Trump noted just moments ago.

“It’s been an interesting day from the standpoint of news,” Trump also said. “And other things are happening”.

The biggest question, then, might be what “other things” the president has planned.

The Reuters news agency cites three anonymous US officials as saying an oil tanker has been seized off the coast of Venezuela in an operation led by the US Coast Guard.

It comes after Trump said the US seized a tanker near Venezuela. The US president provided no further details about why the vessel was seized or where it was headed.

The US has seized a tanker near Venezuela, Donald Trump says.

“As youprobably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a largeone… the largest one ever seized actually… you’ll be seeing that later andwe’ll be talking about it later with some other people,” the president tells reporters during a White House event Wednesday afternoon.

We’ll be bringing you live updates here – stay with us.