An oil tanker seized off the coast of Venezuela will be brought to a United States port, according to White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who floated the possibility of Washington seizing more sanctioned ships in the region.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, a day after US Navy seals landed on the tanker in the Caribbean, Leavitt said Washington intended to seize the oil on the vessel.

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“The vessel will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil,” Leavitt told reporters, saying the oil would be seized through the proper legal process.

She did not rule out more seizures, in what observers have called an escalation in US pressure against the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” Leavitt said.

Washington has not officially identified the tanker, but British maritime risk firm Vanguard said the vessel appeared to be the crude carrier Skipper.

The tanker was sanctioned in 2022 for allegedly helping to transport oil for the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, and Iran’s Quds Force.

Caracas has called the seizure an act of “international piracy”.

The US has surged US military assets to the region and has for weeks conducted strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to take military action on Venezuelan territory, saying any actions would be aimed at the country’s illicit drug trade.

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Experts have dismissed claims that the country is a leading source of drugs smuggled into the US.

Maduro has said the pressure campaign is aimed at toppling his government.

Putin expresses ‘solidarity with the Venezuelan people’

Also on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed Moscow’s support for Venezuela in a call with Maduro, according to the Kremlin.

“Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people”, the Kremlin said in a readout.

The Russian leader “confirmed his support for the Maduro government’s policy aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure”, it added.

Venezuela’s government said the pair “reaffirmed the strategic, solid, and growing nature of their bilateral relations”.

It added that Putin “reiterated that the channels of direct communication between the two nations remain permanently open and assured that Russia will continue to support Venezuela in its struggle to uphold its sovereignty, international law, and peace throughout Latin America”.

The threat of US military action has brought renewed attention to Venezuela’s allies, which have dwindled in recent years. Currently, only Nicaragua and Cuba remain closely aligned with Venezuela in the region.

Caracas maintains close ties with Russia and China, and ties with Iran have strengthened in recent years amid shared opposition to US policy.

Critics have accused the Trump administration of using military pressure in an effort to open Venezuela’s vast oil reserves to US and Western companies, a charge US officials have denied.