Laureate Backs U.S. Seizure of Venezuelan Tanker

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has publicly endorsed the United States’ seizure of a large oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, describing the action as a necessary measure to confront what she called the “criminal” government of President Nicolás Maduro and to help weaken its grip on power.

Speaking in Oslo, Norway, where she was attending events related to her Nobel award, Machado said that cutting off financial resources used by the Maduro regime for repression and corruption was vital, and she praised the U.S. operation as a bold step in that direction.

Machado, who has been in hiding in Venezuela for months following a government crackdown on opposition figures and secretly traveled to Norway for the Nobel ceremonies, also emphasized her commitment to continuing the struggle for democratic transition and human rights in her homeland, expressing hope that Venezuela would one day be free from authoritarian rule.

Her remarks came amid a sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Caracas after U.S. forces seized the oil tanker Skipper in the Caribbean Sea, marking one of the most dramatic actions in a sustained pressure campaign by the United States against Maduro’s government.

The Trump administration announced the seizure on December 10, saying that the vessel had been involved in transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil and possibly oil linked to Iran, as part of an illicit network used to evade U.S. sanctions.

The operation involved the U.S. Coast Guard, FBI, Homeland Security, and military support, with footage shared showing U.S. personnel boarding the tanker by helicopter.

The Venezuelan government vehemently condemned the seizure as “an act of international piracy and blatant theft,” accusing the United States of violating Venezuela’s sovereignty and seeking to appropriate its natural resources.

Caracas vowed to defend its territorial integrity and denounced foreign interventionism, even as regional allies such as Cuba echoed that criticism.

The incident has sharply heightened diplomatic strains, coming as Maduro accuses the U.S. of pursuing regime change and of economic aggression intended to destabilize Venezuela.

Machado’s support for the U.S. action aligns with her long-standing stance against Maduro and reflects growing cooperation with U.S. political figures who back stronger measures to weaken the Venezuelan government. In her Oslo appearances, she also reunited with family members and used the Nobel platform to call for democratic reform.

Despite the intensifying geopolitical conflict, Machado said she plans to return to Venezuela clandestinely to continue her political activism, underscoring her belief that international pressure, including actions like the tanker seizure, could help pave the way for a peaceful democratic transition.

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters