Donald Trump announced the US seized the Venezuelan oil tanker "Skipper", valued at over $90 million, off the Venezuelan coast, prompting condemnation from Nicolás Maduro who called it "international piracy".This action, led by the US Coast Guard and FBI, was justified by US sanctions against illicit oil shipments allegedly bound for Cuba and China, with Kristi Noem describing it as a blow against a regime accused of drug trafficking.Simultaneously, Washington imposed new
sanctions on Maduro's nephews,
Franqui Flores,
Carlos Flores, and
Efraín Campo, along with six firms linked to transporting Venezuelan oil.