U.S. seizes Venezuela-linked oil tankers; Rubio says U.S. will control money from oil sales

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Wednesday that 100 people were killed during the U.S. operation, but he didn't offer details on how many were civilians or members of the military.

"So far, there are one hundred dead. One hundred," he said. "And a similar number of injured. The attack against the country is terrible. No one will be able to conceal it up. There's no way this can be concealed. And the world is discovering it in its entirety.

"People who had nothing to do with the conflict died. Civilians. Women who were in their homes. People who were in their homes. They were hit by the impact of the bombs, the incredibly powerful bombs that were dropped on our country."

The U.S. military action removing Nicolás Maduro from power divides Americans, and their views on it connect to what they think the U.S. goals are and what they believe comes next.

Some 48% of U.S. adults approve of the operation and 52% disapprove, according to a CBS News poll taken between Monday and Wednesday. The margin of error is 2.4 points.

At the moment, most think the Trump administration is among other aims trying to get access to Venezuela's oil and expand U.S. power in the region — and when Americans think those are big parts of the goals, they tend to disapprove.

When people think the goals are a lot about stopping drugs, gangs and terrorists, they are more approving. That view is largely voiced by Republicans.

Either way, that mix of perceptions is partly because most Americans say the administration hasn't clearly explained the U.S.' plans with Venezuela.

Read more here.

President Trump said Venezuela will use the money that it draws from a recent oil sale deal with the U.S. on "ONLY American Made Products."

Those purchases could include agricultural products, medicines, medical devices and equipment needed to fix the country's beleaguered electrical grid, Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner – A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States," the president continued.

Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. will export between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, which will be sold at "market rates," with revenue used "in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Venezuela's interim government had agreed to release the oil. She added that the proceeds will be put in U.S.-controlled bank accounts and be "dispersed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people at the discretion of the United States government."

It's not clear how much revenue will be drawn from the oil sales. Venezuelan crude oil, which is tough to refine and has historically faced tight U.S. sanctions, has been sold at a discount in the past, though some refineries on the U.S.'s Gulf Coast are set up to process the kind of heavy crude oil that typically flows from Venezuela, according to Reuters.

House Democrats continued to question the Trump administration's plans for Venezuela following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, told CBS News' Nikole Killion, "In terms of what comes next, it does not seem that this administration seems to be forthright, transparent, or frankly, have communicated the thought necessary."

She said the answers to many questions in the House briefing were "simple," but noted, "but when we dig into the details, and when we are talking about not just oil, when we're talking about taking over an entire other nation's economy, when our own economy is floundering here in the United States, that sure seems to be like a tremendous responsibility." 

She said the administration had "lost sight of" the economic issues facing Americans, "And now we're talking about taking over an entire other country's economy without basic answers to some of the most, again, basic economic questions that were posed by members."

Rep. Adam Smith, of Washington, also told CBS News the briefing was light on the administration's plans on what comes next, noting the danger that Venezuela could slide into further instability. He urged Pentagon and administration officials to publicly testify and be transparent with the American public.

Venezuela's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada met with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to "denounce the unilateral and unjustified armed aggression perpetrated by the government of the United States of America," Moncada said in a statement Wednesday.

He said he informed Guterres that the U.S.'s actions in Caracas "constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, describing them as a crime of aggression, an act of war, a crime against peace, and a crime against humanity."

Moncada also denounced the "kidnapping" of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, adding that he "regretted that the U.N. had not played a more active role in condemning the threat and use of force by the government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territorial integrity and political independence."

"For his part, the Secretary-General of the United Nations noted that the recent U.S. military incursion into Venezuelan territory represented a flagrant violation of the U.N. Charter and the norms of international law," Moncada's statement read. "He further stated that it set a dangerous precedent for international relations and that he was concerned about its repercussions for the Latin American and Caribbean region, including its proclamation as a Zone of Peace."

House Democrats raised concerns about the Trump administration's actions in Venezuela after leaving a classified briefing on Wednesday. 

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the military's execution of the operation, but said it is "not clear what comes next." 

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks said he heard "no plan" for governing Venezuela after the operation. 

Representatives Jason Crow, of Wisconsin, and Seth Moulton, of Massachusetts, questioned if the Trump administration has a realistic strategy for Venezuela's future, and said that officials had refused to answer basic questions about timelines, costs and next steps. 

After a congressional briefing on Venezuela, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that the U.S. is "not involved with boots on the ground there" and is "not engaging in regime change." 

Johnson said that the briefing discussed Venezuela's oil supplies and how U.S. oil companies could repair infrastructure in the South American country. He said he also does not expect U.S. taxpayer dollars to be used to run an election there. 

"It's a competent country with good people," Johnson said. "They just need better governance, and we hope that can be delivered in short order. I think that's the intention, certainly of the administration and of the Congress, and we'll see what happens." 

Two Defense Department officials told CBS News it was Navy SEALs who took over the Marinera, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker formerly known as Bella-1, on Wednesday morning. 

The SEALs were flown to the oil tanker in the North Atlantic by service members from the 160th Special Operations Regiment, known as the "Night Stalkers," the sources said. 

Fox News was first to report that SEALs seized the tanker.

Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the nation's state-run oil company, said in a statement that it is currently in negotiations to sell oil to the United States.

The negotiations are being conducted "within the framework of the existing trade relations between the two countries," the company said in a translated statement. The negotiations are similar to those previously carried out with companies including Chevron, PDVSA said. 

The company said it is committed to "building alliances that promote national development for the benefit of the Venezuelan people and that contribute to global energy stability." 

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that "anyone on any vessel who fails to obey instructions of the Coast Guard or other federal officials will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

She said in a post on X that people who were aboard the Marinera, which was seized by the U.S. Wednesday, didn't obey Coast Guard orders and are under full investigation and could face criminal charges.

The Justice Department is "monitoring several other vessels" for action similar to the Marinera seizure, she said.  

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the Marinera a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel. It was seized by the U.S. earlier on Wednesday.

"This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that has transported sanctioned oil," she told reporters. "The vessel was deemed stateless after flying a false flag, and it had a judicial seizure order, and that's why the crew will be subject to prosecution." 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed some sanctions are being lifted to allow for the transport of Venezuelan oil to the U.S. The U.S. had imposed a number of sanctions to put pressure on Maduro.

"Yes, the U.S. is selectively rolling back sanctions to enable the transport and the sale of Venezuelan crude and oil products to the global markets," Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil Mr. Trump has mentioned will be arriving in the U.S. "very soon." Proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil products will go to both Americans and Venezuelans "at the discretion of the United States government," she said.

"The interim authorities have agreed to release that oil to the United States, so it will be arriving here at home very soon," Leavitt said. "The United States government has already begun marketing Venezuelan crude oil in the global marketplace for the benefit of the United States, engaged the world's leading commodity marketers, key banks to execute and provide financial support for these crude oil and crude product sales."

"All proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan crude oil and products will first settle in U.S.-controlled accounts at globally recognized banks to guarantee the legitimacy and integrity of the ultimate distribution of proceeds," she continued. "And those funds will be dispersed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people at the discretion of the United States government."  

Venezuela's leadership is cooperating with the U.S. on an oil tanker seized in the Caribbean, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.

"They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States," Rubio told reporters.

U.S. Southern Command said earlier that the Sophia was "conducting illicit activities in the Caribbean Sea" and was interdicted in an early morning operation. It said the U.S. Coast Guard was escorting the tanker to the U.S. for "final disposition."

-CBS/AFP

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the Capitol that the U.S. has "tremendous leverage" over Venezuela and will control the proceeds from the sale of millions of barrels of oil to help stabilize the country.

"We are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We're going to sell it in the marketplace at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting," Rubio said after a briefing for senators by senior administration officials. "That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is disbursed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people, not corruption, not the regime, so we have a lot of leverage to move on the stabilization front."

Rubio said the administration's recent efforts to "quarantine" Venezuelan oil have given the U.S. the "strongest leverage possible" to dictate next steps in the country. He said the administration is taking a three-step approach to handling the aftermath of the Maduro raid: stability, recovery and transition.

"We don't want it descending into chaos," Rubio said. 

Read more here.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that Washington will control sales of Venezuelan oil "indefinitely."

"We're going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela, first this backed-up stored oil, and then indefinitely, going forward, we will sell the production that comes out of Venezuela into the marketplace," Wright said at a Goldman Sachs energy event in Miami.

Wright also suggested sanctions on the country's oil sector would be waived to facilitate the export of its oil.

The United States would be "the supplier" of the diluting agents needed to get Venezuela's extra-heavy crude oil ready for shipment, he said.

"As we make progress with the government, you know, we'll enable the importing of parts and equipment and services to kind of prevent the industry from collapsing, stabilize the production, and then as quickly as possible, start to see it growing again," he said.

Wright, a former oil and gas executive, said it would require "tens of billions of dollars and significant time" to get Venezuela's production back to historical highs of over three million barrels per day.

In the short-to-medium term, he said, several hundreds of thousands of additional barrels could be achieved "for just small capital deployment, spare parts, people try to revitalize some of the existing stuff." 

Russia is responding to the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic.

Russia's Ministry of Transport said on the messaging platform Telegram Wednesday that no state has the right to use force against vessels that are registered under other states, CBS News' Margaret Brennan reports.

The ministry said that U.S. naval forces boarded the Marinera at 3 p.m. Moscow time and that communication with the ship was later lost.

The vessel had been "granted temporary permission to sail under the State Flag of the Russian Federation, issued in accordance with Russian legislation and the norms of international law," it said.

"In accordance with the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the high seas are governed by the principle of freedom of navigation, and no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states," the ministry said. 

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristin Noem said the U.S. Coast Guard "conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two 'ghost fleet' tanker ships" before dawn on Wednesday.

Coast Guard tactical teams used their "specialized expertise" to conduct "two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other," she said.

"One of these tankers, Motor Tanker Bella I, has been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice," she added.

Noem posted video on social media showing U.S. forces boarding the Sophia.

U.S. Southern Command said on Wednesday that the U.S. "apprehended a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker" called the Sophia in a "pre-dawn action" in the Caribbean. 

It said in a post on X that the vessel was conducting illicit activities and operating in international waters. 

Two U.S. officials told CBS News the Sophia was flying a Cameroonian flag and left Venezuela with oil on board. The U.S. judged it to be in violation of its embargo on Venezuela. 

The U.S. has full control of the vessel and no U.S. personnel were injured in the operation, the officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard was escorting it to the U.S. "for final disposition," according to U.S. Southern Command.

The U.S. carried out an operation Wednesday to seize the Marinera, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker formerly known as Bella-1, officials said.

The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure, saying the tanker was seized in the North Atlantic for violations of U.S. sanctions, and pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.

The U.S. has been following the tanker since last month, and CBS News first reported Monday on plans to interdict it.  A Russian submarine and other naval vessels had been deployed to escort the tanker as the U.S. followed it, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday.

Read more here.

Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said "there may be a couple of others" in his party who will support a war powers resolution to limit President Trump's authority to continue the military campaign in Venezuela. The Senate is set to vote on the measure later this week. But should it pass both chambers, it would also require the president's signature.

Still, Paul said on "CBS Mornings" that "I think that this is an important debate to have."

"Doesn't mean I have anything against President Trump. It doesn't mean, I don't even dislike the result of Maduro gone," Paul said. "But I do think the constitutional debate is an important one."

Paul said that "the initiation of war or the declaration of war is the prerogative of Congress."

"So in this case, the planning for this attack in Venezuela took four months. We could have easily voted for a declaration of war had it been brought to Congress," he added. 

The Kentucky Republican noted the concerns about the surprise elements of an attack should Congress be involved. He argued "the actual details of when it would occur don't have to be given to Congress."

"So this is actually a debate over initiation versus execution. I believe completely that all presidents execute wars and really should have very little, if any, limitations by Congress," Paul said. "The initiation of war is where we come in. But I think that should be adhered to, and could have been done here, even with said element of surprise, because I think that that's what the Constitution intended."

Venezuela's new ruler, interim president Delcy Rodriguez, faces a difficult task to stay in power – balancing competing demands from Trump and government hardliners who control the security forces and paramilitaries, according to experts.

Rodriguez has sought to project unity with powerful Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, two hardliners seen as the main powerbrokers in the Maduro administration.

Rodriguez – a long-time member of Maduro's inner circle as vice president and energy minister  – has vowed cooperation with the United States amid fears that Mr. Trump could pursue wider regime change.

Mr. Trump has warned that Rodriguez will pay "a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro" if she does not comply with Washington's agenda – ceding control of the oil industry and weakening ties with Cuba, China, Iran and Russia.

But she has also, at times, sounded defiant and appeared shoulder-to-shoulder with hardliners that control the military, police and intelligence services.

"The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no-one else", Rodriguez said Tuesday. "There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela."

Denmark and Greenland are seeking a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over the strategic Arctic island, a Danish territory.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, requested the meeting with Rubio in the near future, said a statement Tuesday on Greenland's government website. Previous requests for a sit-down were not successful, the statement said.

"When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," the statement said. "Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend."

The White House said officials are discussing a wide range of options for acquiring Greenland, including using the U.S. military to take it by force. Senior administration officials are also discussing possibly acquiring Greenland from Denmark or forming a compact of free association, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. 

-CBS/AP

Ahead of a Senate briefing on the operation to capture Maduro, Democratic lawmakers questioned the Trump administration's Venezuela strategy on Tuesday and pressed for more details, while most Republicans lauded the operation.

Some Senate Democrats have indicated they plan to press for a war powers vote as early as this week to block further military action in Venezuela. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime skeptic of military interventions, is expected to join them. The House and Senate have held similar votes in recent months, all of which have fallen short.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, was unimpressed with an earlier briefing to congressional leaders on Monday, telling reporters that administration officials "have no idea what steps 2 through 10 are going to be."

Other Democrats have questioned the operation's legality, and have criticized Mr. Trump's focus on Venezuelan oil or his suggestion that he will "run" Venezuela.

"If Donald Trump wants to run a country, he should think about running the United States of America," said Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

Republicans have largely stood by the president, arguing the military operation was legal and justified. Most have also expressed confidence in Mr. Trump's strategy.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters he's confident there is a plan for how the U.S. will operate in Venezuela, but "the next few days are going to be key" in assessing the "government structure" and "how willing they are to work with the U.S." 

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said: "We are in charge of Venezuela." 

"For those who are saying that we're going to run and occupy Venezuela, we're not," Graham added. "We're going to build up the country — we're running it for now."

All senators are invited to a briefing on Venezuela on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in a secure Senate location, according to a Senate source.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will brief members, the Senate source said. 

Democratic senators in particular have been pushing for the full Senate to be briefed immediately.

The briefing will take place in a sensitive compartmented information facility or SCIF, a secure location where no phones are allowed. 

María Corina Machado says the people of Venezuela have picked her opposition movement to lead the country after Maduro's ouster less than a week ago. 

Machado spoke with "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil in a network exclusive Tuesday, saying, "We are ready and willing to serve our people, as we have been mandated."

The former legislator won a primary race to run against Maduro in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election. The government then banned her from running, but retired diplomat Edmundo González stepped in as a replacement. The U.S. and other governments recognized González as the winner after the Maduro government was accused of rigging the vote tallies.

Machado also called interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who remains in control of Venezuela, "one of the main architects" of Maduro's oppressive regime.

"Everybody in Venezuela and abroad knows perfectly who she is and the role she has played," she told Dokoupil.

Venezuelan authorities have agreed to give the U.S. between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil, President Trump said in a social media post Tuesday evening.

"I am pleased to announce that the Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president claimed that the oil would be sold at "Market Price," and that the revenue from those sales "will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!"

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright would organize the process of transferring oil from Venezuela to the U.S., the president said. He didn't offer further details about where the oil would be coming from or who exactly authorized the transfer. The Venezuelan government didn't appear to respond to the president's post.

Mr. Trump said the oil will be taken by storage ships and "brought directly to unloading docks" in the U.S.

The president has pushed for increased oil production in Venezuela, encouraging U.S. firms to invest in the country. Some experts have predicted that it could take a while for foreign oil companies to enter Venezuela, considering the high cost and political uncertainty.

The White House said Tuesday officials are discussing a wide range of options for acquiring Greenland, including using the U.S. military to take it by force.

Senior administration officials are also discussing possibly acquiring Greenland from Denmark or forming a compact of free association, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Reuters was first to report these developments. 

"President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region," Leavitt said. "The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief's disposal."

President Trump has made clear for months that he thinks the U.S. needs to control the Arctic island to ensure the security of America and its NATO allies, citing its strategic location.

The leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have strongly objected to the idea of the U.S. taking over the island. The Danish prime minister said Monday a U.S. takeover would effectively mean the end of the NATO alliance.

President Trump isn't denying the possibility of further American expansion, intervention or annexation efforts in the Western Hemisphere after the military's success in plucking former Maduro from Caracas over the weekend to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S.

In the past, he's threatened to annex Greenland and Canada and predicted the governments in Cuba and Colombia would fall. Now, Mr. Trump is making similar comments again and raising new questions about what he plans to do next.

Read more here.

During the U.S. operation in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were injured trying to escape to their safe room, according to a senior military official and a source familiar with Monday's congressional briefing.

Special operations forces threw flash-bangs into the area where they were found.

When U.S. authorities arrested the couple, they were already bleeding.

In court Monday, attorneys for both Maduro and his wife requested that health and medical issues be attended to for their clients.

Flores' attorney said that "during her abduction," she "sustained significant injuries," including bruised ribs. He requested that she receive a medical evaluation. Maduro's lawyer also made a request regarding health and medical issues on behalf of Maduro.

Journalists in the courtroom observed visible bruising and bandages on Flores' head.

The Venezuelan military said Tuesday it faced 24 deaths in the U.S. operation, and the Cuban government has said 32 of its military and intelligence personnel were killed.

Meanwhile, two U.S. service members are still recovering from injuries sustained during the operation in Venezuela, according to a Pentagon official. Five other service members injured in the operation have already returned to duty, the official said.