Bipartisan Lawmakers warn of escalation after US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker

Washington, Dec 11 (UNI) Bipartisan lawmakers on Wednesday voiced strong concerns that the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker could dangerously escalate tensions with Caracas, even as the Trump administration defended the move as part of its broader crackdown on sanctioned oil shipments.

Republican Senator Rand Paul warned that the operation risked triggering a broader conflict. “It sounds a lot like the beginning of a war,” Paul told NewsNation’s Hannah Brandt, adding that “it is not the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world, looking for adversaries and beginning wars.”

Democrats voiced similar alarms. Senator Chris Coons said he had not been briefed on the incident but was “gravely concerned that Trump is sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela.”

Earlier Wednesday, President Trump told reporters the US had seized a “very large” oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.

“And other things are happening,” he added, without offering further details. “It was seized for a very good reason,” Trump said, later telling reporters that the US would likely “keep the oil.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently released video footage showing US forces descending onto the vessel by helicopter and taking control. Bondi said the FBI,Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

“For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” Bondi wrote on social media. She said the operation was conducted “safely and securely” and that investigations would continue alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil.

Republican Senators said they were still seeking information about the operation.

Senator Josh Hawley said that he would “look into it” after being informed on Capitol Hill while some Senators argue that they had not been briefed.

Sen. Roger Marshall said that the US “should be pushing back on Venezuela,” but added he remains concerned about the South American country’s alleged ties to drug cartels.

Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, noted that Congress had not been briefed on the administration’s broader posture toward Venezuela, saying he lacked information on “the administration’s plans for a potential war , the path forward or how to manage risks.”

The tanker seizure is the latest in a series of aggressive steps by the administration against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

During his second term, Trump has made curbing immigration a central priority and has blamed Maduro for the large number of Venezuelan migrants arriving in the US.

Without providing evidence, Trump has accused Maduro of “emptying his prisons and insane asylums” and “forcing” their inmates to migrate to the United States. He has also intensified his focus on combating the influx of fentanyl and cocaine, designating two Venezuelan groups — Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles — as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, and alleging that the latter is led by Maduro himself.

Since September, the administration has authorised at least 22 military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 87 people. The White House has described the targets as “narco-terrorists,” but lawmakers from both parties have questioned the legality and oversight of the operations.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also expanded its presence in the US Southern Command area, deploying warships, Marines, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft. Trump confirmed in October that he had authorized CIA operations inside Venezuela.

FBI Director Kash Patel said, "Our partners executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela - used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The tanker has been used in recent years in an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.

This administration’s efforts to crush FTO’s and cut off their resources will continue day and night."

Venezuela–U.S. relations started deteriorated after the United States rejected the 2024 election as illegitimate and recognised opposition candidate Edmundo González as “president-elect.” Asked whether he wanted Maduro removed, Trump told Politico earlier this week, “His days are numbered."

(My published article in UNI)