Over the weekend, the United States took action in the Caribbean Sea by intercepting two oil tankers near Venezuela, causing concern among other Latin American nations and preparations for potential land strikes. The U.S. Coast Guard boarded a vessel named Centuries on Saturday and pursued another named Bella 1 on Sunday, which managed to escape and remains at large.

The U.S. identified Centuries as part of a “dark fleet” engaged in funding narcoterrorism through sanctioned cargo. The pursuit of Bella 1 on Sunday targeted a vessel involved in Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion. These interceptions are part of a broader U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, which has also targeted numerous smaller boats suspected of carrying drugs, resulting in the deaths of over 100 individuals onboard.

President Donald Trump convened key members of his national security team in Florida on Monday, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Navy Secretary John Phelan. The U.S.’s four-month campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro initially aimed to curb illegal drug flows but has evolved into a more ambiguous effort.

In a previous incident on December 10, the U.S. seized an oil tanker named Skipper, which had transported Venezuelan crude and Iranian oil previously sanctioned for alleged terrorist financing. Trump’s administration has defended its military actions without providing clear reasons for the pressure campaign against Maduro.

China, the largest purchaser of Venezuelan crude, has seen a sharp decline in Venezuelan crude exports following the U.S.’s tanker seizures. While some vessels are under sanctions, others continue to transport Venezuelan oil to Iran and Russia without sanctions. The U.S. did not have a warrant to intercept Bella 1, unlike the situation with Centuries.

Venezuela denounced the interception of the tankers as a “serious act of international piracy.” Bella 1, still on the move, had transmitted distress signals as it sailed northward. World leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, have called for restraint in response to the U.S.’s actions in the region.