U.S. snatches tanker off Venezuela — triggering Putin’s intervention, Iranian fury, and fears of an ugly escalation

Venezuela is heating up after the Trump administration seized a tanker off the coast of the South American country. Now Vladimir Putin has reached out to the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, to express his unwavering support toward his regime’s “growing external pressure.”

There’s a reason people keep comparing Venezuela to George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Maduro is a controversial leader, but the Trump administration has made it abundantly clear they’re more interested in the country’s oil reserves than delivering “freedom” or ending terror or drug trafficking.

That approach delivered a blow to the perception of the U.S. as an enforcer of global peace, and Russia has seized upon it as a priceless opportunity to delegitimize America’s position on the global stage.

🇷🇺🇻🇪📞 Presidents Vladimir Putin and @NicolasMaduro spoke over the phone.

Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support of the policies of the Maduro government.#RussiaVenezuela pic.twitter.com/2Gz4c4Zamn

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) December 11, 2025

According to Fox News, Maduro and Putin discussed their “shared interest in advancing a strategic partnership.” The two countries are reportedly looking to merge their economic and energy agendas. Putin doesn’t have a problem with Maduro’s leadership, seeing this as a way to question American authority — and in the process, make strengthen his own position with Ukraine.

A new division emerging?

Iran also sees the same opportunity in this Trump administration operation. According to Newsweek, the Iranian embassy in Venezuela released a statement that read: “The illegal move by the U.S. government to seize a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea without any justified or legal reason constitutes a blatant violation of international laws and regulations, including the inviolable principle of freedom of the seas and navigation.”

Q: "Putin called Maduro today to reaffirm his support…Is this concerning to the president that Putin has embraced Maduro?"

Leavitt: "I don't think that would be concerning to the president at all, no." pic.twitter.com/tUsOXKYV50

— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) December 11, 2025

Cuba and all the nations that have recently had issues with the Trump administration followed suit. The Cuban government has already moved to calling the seizure of the tanker on the coast of Venezuela an instance of “piracy.”

As all this is happening, the reason why the Trump administration is planning on invading Venezuela continues to blur into the background. Allegedly, this is all to stop drug trafficking. After bombing ships, sanctioning Venezuela, seizing tankers, and then adding further sanctions — now the only option is seizing a country using military might. So much for the “peace president.”