TRANSCRIPT:
US President Donald Trump says his government will not be returning the oil tankers it seized in recent days, nor any of the between 1.9 and four million barrels of oil aboard.
TRUMP: "We're going to keep it. We're keeping it."
REPORTER: "Are we going to sell it or put it into strategic reserves?"
TRUMP: "Maybe we'll sell it. Maybe we'll keep it. Maybe we'll use it in the strategic reserves. We're keeping it. We're keeping the ships also."
This month, the United States successfully seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela.
Mr Trump says the US Coast Guard is now pursuing a third.
"It's moving along. We'll end up getting it. Ya, we're actually pursuing it. Can you imagine? Because it came out of the wrong location, it came out of Venezuela, and it was sanctioned."
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Yvan Gil, is accusing the US of piracy and an energy blockade that violates international law.
“In December 2025, the United States proceeded with the hijacking and theft of two ships on the high seas that contained approximately 4 million barrels of Venezuelan oil and announced an absolute naval blockade against tankers transporting Venezuelan energy. These actions constitute acts of piracy as understood under customary international law and codified by the United Nations, as illegal acts of violence, detention or depredation committed on the high seas against ships and their cargo.”
Mr Gil warns that the consequences of the US actions will extend far beyond Venezuela, affecting energy markets and vulnerable economies worldwide.
“Venezuela reaffirms its vocation for peace but also declares with absolute clarity that it is prepared to defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity and its resources in accordance with international law. However, we responsibly warn that these aggressions will not only impact Venezuela. The blockade and piracy against Venezuelan energy trade will affect oil and energy supply, increase instability in international markets, and hit the economies of Latin America, the Caribbean and the world, especially in the most vulnerable countries.”
He says Venezuela is demanding an immediate end to the US military presence in the Caribbean, and calling for multilateral investigations and international condemnation of what it calls breaches of international law.
The Trump administration insists the seizures target what it calls a shadow fleet - transporting sanctioned oil to Iran and China.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, warns the US is setting a precedent that threatens global security.
“Any country that sees itself as responsible for international peace and security and that values the rule of law must take a position on this American action. Overall, the steps the United States has taken in the Caribbean in recent months ... run counter to all international principles and rules. In effect, this means dismantling and eroding all the norms that have underpinned international life over the past eight decades. Therefore, this must be condemned by all governments.”
Mr Baghaei says Iran would respond if its interests were affected, warning of what he calls growing unilateralism by Washington.
China has voiced similar concerns, framing the US actions as economic coercion rather than law enforcement.
