The US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, escalating tensions with Caracas and triggering an immediate rise in global oil prices. The announcement follows months of increased US military activity in the region and marks the first known interdiction of a vessel carrying Venezuelan crude under Trump's expanded operations.

"We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening," Trump told reporters. When asked about the fate of the seized oil, he replied, "We keep it, I guess."

BREAKING: President Trump just announced the United States has SEIZED a tanker ship off the coast of Venezuela

“It’s the largest one ever seized and now other things a

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