Late Wednesday, Dec. 10, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States had seized a “very large” vessel off the coast of Venezuela, adding, “I assume we’ll keep the oil.” (This did not reduce prices, but raised them, despite Trump’s bragging about lowering gas prices—ed.)
Attorney General Pam Bondi said a warrant had been issued for the seizure of the vessel based on “intelligence” that the boat was tied to the Cartel de los Soles.
According to the New York Times, “The ship took Iranian oil to Syria in 2024, and it transported nearly 2 million barrels of crude oil from Iran to China between February and July of this year, according to the tracking website. Iran and Syria are among four countries the United States lists as state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that triggers strict U.S. sanctions.
“In 2022, when the ship had another name, it was placed under sanctions by the Treasury Department, which said the vessel was part of ‘an international oil smuggling network that facilitated oil trades and generated revenue’ to support the Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah in Lebanon and the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is part of the Iranian military.”
Of course, none of that history legitimizes seizing the vessel and stealing the oil.
In a Bloomberg news interview, former NATO Supreme Commander and former Commander of the Southern Command Gen. Wesley Clark stated that this really isn’t about oil, but delivering a message to Nicolás Maduro that he has to go.
Clark also referred to Maduro and his military in general as “mosquitoes,” implying that they’re an irrelevant annoyance, to be easily dispensed with, and that the real issue is what’s happening in Ukraine, and whether President Trump is abandoning a “Democratic ally” and is too neutral in the face of the authoritarian aggressor President Putin.
The Kremlin released the following readout on a phone call between Presidents Putin and Maduro on Thursday afternoon:
“December 11, 2025, 6:15 PM The heads of state exchanged views on the further development of friendly Russian-Venezuelan relations within the framework of the strategic partnership and cooperation treaty that came into force in November 2025. Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed his support for the course of the Maduro government, aimed at defending national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure.
“The mutual commitment to the consistent implementation of joint projects in trade and economy, energy, finance, culture and humanitarian affairs, and other areas was confirmed.”
Is anyone in the Trump Administration wise enough to be concerned that continued such illegal actions, rightly categorized as “piracy,” may undermine their ability to negotiate an early end to the Ukraine-Russia proxy war?