One day after capturing an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast, the U.S. has sanctioned three of Nicolas Maduro's nephews, along with six other oil tankers.

Washington

The Trump administration has intensified its campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by sanctioning three of his nephews and six oil tankers, following the capture of a tanker off Venezuela's coast. The U.S. alleges the vessel was used to evade sanctions and transport oil to Iran's IRGC, with American troops conducting the seizure operation.

Sanctions now prohibit Maduro's nephews and several shipping companies from conducting business with U.S. entities or accessing U.S. assets. The White House has stated that a full investigation is underway aboard the seized ship, with plans to move it to a U.S. port and legally seize the oil cargo.

Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro with new sanctions

Hello and thank you for joining us. The Trump administration is ramping up tensions with Venezuela one day after capturing an oil tanker off the nation's coast. The United States has sanctioned three Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's nephews as well as six oil tankers amid the White House's ongoing pressure campaign against Maduro. Last night Attorney General Pam Bondi posted this video of the tanker seizure. It shows American troops descending from a helicopter and seizing the vessel that was allegedly being used to skirt oil sanctions. Sources say 10 Coast Guard members and 10 Marines and special operation forces were involved. Earlier today, Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt was asked about the operation which Venezuela calls an act of international piracy. With respect to the oil and what happened yesterday, the Department of Justice requested and was approved for a warrant to seize a vessel because it's a sanctioned shadow vessel known for carrying black market sanctioned oil to the IRGC. IRGC refers to the armed wing of the Iranian regime. Shipping data shows the skipper traveled from Iran earlier this year to Hong Kong. From there it went back to Iran and ultimately traveled across the Atlantic to Venezuela. CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes joins us now. Nancy, what more do we know about these sanctions and the mindset of the president? Nancy, three of Nicolas Maduro's nephews have been sanctioned. Two of them are men well known to U.S. law enforcement. They were actually serving time here in the U.S. on major drug charges until they were released back in 2022 in a prisoner's swap. And not only have they now been sanctioned, which means that they cannot do business with U.S. companies, they can't access any financial assets or property here in the U.S. But the same has been imposed upon a half-a-dozen shipping companies and a half-a-dozen oil tankers that the U.S. government says have been moving sanctioned Venezuelan oil. And that is obviously meant to send a message to shippers in the region that if you move Venezuelan oil, the U.S. might seize your tanker, too. When it comes to the skipper, what does the Trump administration plan to do with the ship, with the crew, and with the oil? The White House press secretary said today that right now there is a full investigative team aboard the ship seizing evidence, interviewing the crew, and that eventually it will be moved to a U.S. port. She did not say which one. And then she went on to say that the U.S. does plan to seize the oil that is on board the tanker, though she acknowledged that there is a legal process for doing that, and she said that the administration does plan to follow that legal process. Nancy Cuerdas, thank you.

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