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On December 10, 2025 the United States carried out a bold operation and seized a massive oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, an action President Trump announced to the nation with unmistakable clarity. The operation involved coordination among the FBI, Homeland Security, the Coast Guard and other military elements, and the vessel was publicly identified as the Skipper.
This was not a random ship; the Skipper sailed under a previous name that was sanctioned in 2022 for its role in a shadowy oil-smuggling network tied to Iran and proxies. U.S. officials say the tanker was carrying roughly two million barrels of Venezuela’s heavy Merey crude, with documents indicating about half the cargo was linked to Cuban state interests — proof that illicit energy shipments shore up hostile regimes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and other officials released footage of U.S. personnel boarding the vessel, underscoring that this was an enforcement action against flagrantly sanctioned activity, not aimless saber-rattling. For patriots worried about funding for terrorists and corrupt dictators, this is exactly the sort of tough, lawful pushback Americans expect from a government that puts national security first.
Predictably, Caracas denounced the seizure as “theft” and “piracy,” and liberal outlets rushed to cry over escalation rather than confront the facts of illicit oil trafficking. Those objections ring hollow when you consider decades of kleptocratic regimes using natural resources to bankroll repression, narco-trafficking, and aid to Iranian proxies — when the law and sanctions are on the table, enforcement is not aggression, it’s justice.
Some legal questions will be raised about the precise authority used and the potential diplomatic ripple effects, but talk is cheap compared with results: choke the cash flow that props up Maduro’s thugs and the Cartel of the Suns. The U.S. has already been targeting drug-smuggling vessels and maritime networks in the Caribbean this year, and hard enforcement of sanctions is the most effective non-war tool to deprive bad actors of resources.
Make no mistake — this seizure is part of a broader, principled strategy to deny money and fuel to enemies of freedom, and it sends a very clear message to corrupt networks and rogue states: don’t mess with our laws or our hemisphere. The left will whine about escalation while sitting safely on its hands; conservatives should stand firm in backing actions that protect American lives, borders, and energy security.
Hardworking Americans who love country and liberty ought to be proud that their government is finally acting decisively to protect their interests and confront tyranny in the Americas. If Washington follows through with consistent, lawful pressure instead of appeasement, we can starve the regimes that export misery and criminality — and restore order, opportunity, and peace to the neighborhood we call home.
