Why is Trump attacking Venezuelan boats? – The Latest

为何特朗普攻击委内瑞拉船只?——最新动态

Today in Focus

2025-12-12

11 分钟
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US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in a major escalation of Donald Trump’s campaign against the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, whose government called the seizure an act of international piracy. The Trump administration is facing increasing scrutiny over a series of attacks on boats off the Venezuelan coast. At least 87 people have been killed in 22 known strikes since early September. Lucy Hough talks to the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, Devika Bhat – Watch on YouTube.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
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  • This is The Guardian.

  • We've had at least two senators saying this looks

  • like it's the start of leading to a war with Venezuela and I think there are genuine concerns that you know we're heading in that direction.

  • We've just seized a tanker.

  • on the coast of Venezuela, large tank of oil.

  • What happens to the oil on that ship?

  • Well, we keep it, I guess.

  • I don't think this is over by any stretch of the imagination.

  • I think Trump's making it very clear now that he's not going anywhere on this and that he's only going to keep suing this.

  • Why is Donald Trump attacking ships near Venezuela and is what his administration is doing illegal?

  • From The Guardians Today in Focus, this is the latest with me, Lucy Hough.

  • I'm joined by Devika Bhatt, who is deputy editor of International News.

  • Thanks so much for coming up to the studio to join us Devika.

  • So this is a genuinely wild video that was posted by the Department for Homeland Security yesterday and it's footage of US special forces landing onto the deck of a massive oil liner off the coast of Venezuela.

  • What do we know about this US operation?

  • So as you say,

  • it was sort of announced yesterday via both Trump himself as well as video footage that was posted by the Department of Homeland Security as well as Pam Bondi,

  • the US Attorney General.

  • So Trump in announcing this operation said that the US had captured or seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela,

  • refused to say who actually owns the tanker and sort of obliquely said there could be more to come.