Venezuela-US tensions spike in wake of seized tanker. Opposition leader vows change

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Friday promised political change after slipping out of the country in secret to collect the Nobel Peace Prize, as the Trump administration's seizure of an oil tanker earlier this week upended the status quo.

The action came on the heels of a large-scale US military buildup in the southern Caribbean as President Donald Trump campaigns to oust Venezuela's illegitimate leader Nicolas Maduro, pushing relations to their most volatile point in years. The effects could ripple through the region, with Venezuelan oil exports falling sharply and crisis-stricken Cuba, already straining to power its grid, at risk of losing supply.

The US seizure of the tanker Skipper off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday marked the first US capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019.