The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for the crude oil tanker MT Skipper off Venezuela's coast on December 10, 2025, for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran supporting foreign terrorist organizations, according to a statement shared by RapidResponse47 on X over the past hour. The Department of Homeland Security posted on X during the reporting window that the agencies involved conducted the operation to counter threats, stating "If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we won’t find you," and thanked USCG, ICE, FBI, DeptofWar, and TheJusticeDept. A New York Times analysis shared by trbrtc on X examined the MT Skipper using shoreside photos, satellite imagery, and AIS data, reporting it repeatedly spoofed its location and carried millions of barrels of Iranian oil to Syria's Assad regime, in collaboration with riley_mellen and TankerTrackers. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared publicly in Oslo, Norway, after 16 months in hiding, as stated by RepCarlos and MaElviraSalazar on X during the period, with posts expressing excitement over her presence ahead of a potential Nobel Peace Prize event. Analyst RyanBergPhD commented on X that it was a bad day for Nicolás Maduro and his allies in Caracas, as aired on BBCNews this evening, amid ongoing US pressure including the tanker seizure previously denounced by Venezuelan officials Diosdado Cabello and the foreign ministry as theft and piracy.
