Venezuela’s foreign affairs minister denounced the seizure, calling it a “blatant theft” and “an act of international piracy.”

The U.S. government seized the ship off Venezuela this week for allegedly transporting oil to sanctioned Iran.

An ABC News analysis of satellite imagery and tracking data shows the oil tanker seized by the U.S. off the coast of Venezuela may have manipulated its location data.

Using U.S. forces to take control of a merchant ship is unusual and marks the Trump administration's latest push to increase pressure on Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism.

A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curacao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path.

The vessel, known as "The Skipper," was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard and other U.S. agencies on Wednesday. It was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022. According to a 2022 Treasury Department notice, the tanker was one of several vessels used for illicit oil shipments by a Gulf-based businessman named Viktor Artemov.

Trump administration uses sanctions law, not military authority, to seize Venezuelan oil tanker tied to Iran network supporting terrorist groups.

The U.S. seizes an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast as the Trump administration continues to escalate military activity in the region. Republicans scramble for a health care plan. And, an uptick in poisoning from death cap mushrooms worries the foraging community.