Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday condemned the United States' seizure of a giant oil tanker off the country's coast, calling the move "a blatant theft and an act of international piracy." The sharp denunciation follows U.S. President Donald Trump's confirmation of the military action on Wednesday. He told reporters the vessel was "very large, the largest one ever seized," and justified it for a "very good reason." U.S. officials stated the tanker was involved in transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that the United States would take the oil tanker it seized on Wednesday near the coast of Venezuela to a U.S. port, and intends to confiscate the oil it carried. Leavitt said the oil carried by the vessel was intended for delivery to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an entity sanctioned by the United States. She added that the U.S. is conducting investigations in accordance with the law, including interviewing the crew and collecting evidence. President Maduro said Venezuela would resort to legal and diplomatic measures to ensure that its oil could be sold worldwide. Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday criticized U.S. military operation in the Caribbean Sea, calling the seizure of the oil tanker an act of piracy. He said that the U.S. act is aimed at seeking control over oil resources rather than combating drug trafficking, warning that the situation in the region could escalate. On the same day, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) issued a statement, condemning in the strongest terms the act of blatant piracy perpetrated by the government of the United States in illegally seizing and confiscating a Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, saying that this act constitutes a grave violation of International Law and a direct attack on the sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The statement said this act reveals a strategy of plunder aimed at taking control of Venezuela's energy resources, setting an extremely dangerous precedent for international legal and maritime stability. ALBA firmly rejects this imperial aggression and reaffirms its full support for the people and government of Venezuela. The alliance demands the immediate return of the vessel and the cessation of all actions to seize Venezuelan property, urging multilateral, regional, and global organizations to urgently speak out against this blatant violation of international law, according to the statement. The video shows: Washington D.C., USA - October 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of White House Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 2. Various of Capitol building; U.S. national flag New York City, USA - October 2024 (CCTV Video News Agency - No access Chinese mainland) 3. Traffic on street Caracas, Venezuela - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 4. Various of national flag of Venezuela, traffic Beijing, China - Dec 13, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 5. Screenshot of statement issued by Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) Bogota, Colombia - Feb 7, 2020 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 6. National flag of Colombia Colombia - July 15, 2022 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 7. Various of traffic Bogota, Colombia - Oct 23, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 8. Cityscape [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]