Welcome to the News Hour. The United States today seized a tanker ship off the coast of Venezuela.

Attorney General Pambandi said in a social media post that a warrant was executed for the crude oil tanker that was once used to transport sanctioned oil from both Venezuela and Iran.

Nick Schiffin's been following this all, and he joins me here now. So, Nick, what happened today?

Well, as you just said, Pan Bondi, just announced this, that the military with the Coast Guard and the

FBI's help seize this tanker off the coast of Venezuela. And Bondi also posted this video.

You can see it there, a helicopter hovering above the ship. You can see service members rappelling down onto the ship.

Eventually, they draw their guns to seize this ship. I mean, it goes without saying, but this is

highly unusual to see in the Caribbean the military launching an arm seizure of a tanker.

It was announced today by President Trump. We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large.

Largest one ever seized, actually. It was seized for a very good reason.

So as you said, Omnabandi said the tanker was sanctioned by the U.S. as part of an illicit

oil-sirping network for supporting foreign terrorist organizations.

But this is also a clear attempt to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

And it's an attempt to pressure him through economic means in the sense that it is an

attempt to pressure Venezuela's exports of oil.

Take a listen to Ryan Berg, the Center of Strategic and International Studies, who calls

today a significant escalation.

This comes at a time when Maduro is under a lot of pressure to leave.

One of the key ways that he will think he can remain in power as if he has enough revenues in his coffers

to pay off the people he needs to pay off.

This cuts directly against those revenue streams.

And it also drives up the discount that largely Asian markets will demand for Venezuelan

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