President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will keep crude oil and tankers seized near Venezuela.
“We’re going to keep it,” Trump told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida after unveiling a new class of battleships named after himself.
“Maybe we’ll sell it, maybe we’ll keep it, maybe we’ll use it in the strategic reserve,” Trump said of the seized oil. “We’re keeping the ships also.”
Trump has ordered a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela as he escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.
The U.S. seized a large tanker on Dec. 10 that was carrying more than 1 million barrels of oil, according energy consulting firm Kpler. It intercepted a second vessel over the weekend. Trump confirmed Monday that the U.S. is pursuing a third tanker.
