The United States has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking a significant escalation in its pressure campaign against President Nicolás Maduro's government. President Donald Trump confirmed the seizure on Wednesday, saying it was the largest such seizure ever conducted by the U.S. and that the vessel was taken for a "very good reason."

The operation, carried out by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense, involved armed personnel rappelling from helicopters onto the ship, as shown in a video posted by Attorney General Pam Bondi on X.

"Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran," Bondi wrote. "For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues."

On her part, Homeland Security Secretary NKristi Noem wrote: "America rules the waves. Today @USCG in collaboration with @ICEgov, @FBI, @DeptofWar and @TheJusticeDept led a targeted operation to seize a crude oil tanker sanctioned by the U.S. government for transporting oil from Venezuela and Iran in support of foreign terrorist organizations. If you threaten our nation, or break the law, there is no place on land or sea where we won’t find you. Thank you to our brave service members. America FIRST"

The tanker, believed to be the Skipper, was carrying Venezuelan crude and had been previously sanctioned due to its links to an illicit oil network supporting foreign terrorist organizations, including connections to Cuba. The seizure occurred in international waters and proceeded without incident or casualties.

The vessel was en route to Cuba, where it was to be sold to Asian energy brokers through the state firm Cubametales. The U.S. government intends to keep the seized oil, with Trump saying, "We keep it, I guess." The vessel registered to Triton Navigation in the Marshall Islands, was previously known as the Adisa.

The move has been condemned by Venezuela as "an act of international piracy" and a violation of its sovereignty, with the government vowing to appeal to international bodies.

The operation is part of a broader U.S. strategy that includes a military buildup in the Caribbean, strikes on suspected drug vessels, and efforts to force Maduro from power.

The seizure has raised concerns about potential disruptions to global oil supplies, though analysts note the impact may be limited since the tanker was already on the U.S. sanctions list.

Despite the seizure, Chevron continues its operations in Venezuela under a renewed license, with no disruption reported.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the National Reconnaissance Office Launch 77 (NROL-77) mission on Tuesday(Dec. 9), at 1916 UTC from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying a classified national security payload designed, built, and operated by the NRO, which is responsible for the United States’ reconnaissance satellite fleet.

About eight and a half minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage booster, B1096 executed a successful landing at LZ-2, marking the 16th touchdown at that site and the 547th booster landing in SpaceX’s history. B1096, which completed its fourth flight, have previously supported NASA’s IMAP mission, Amazon’s Kuiper Falcon 01, and a Starlink 6-87 mission.

The Falcon 9's upper stage deploy the NROL-77 payload less than an hour after launch, confirmed by the NRO. National security missions tend to be classified, and NROL-77 is no exception. The NRO's press release, says the mission "carries a national security payload designed, built and operated by NRO."

The NRO and U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) emphasized that this partnership strengthens national space superiority through innovative launch solutions and shared expertise, especially in an increasingly contested space environment.

The mission patch for NROL-77 features a flying squirrel symbolizing endurance and the gathering of foundational knowledge from space, with the motto “Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow and Beyond.”

"The flying squirrel is a symbol of hard work and endurance — always active gathering foundational knowledge from the space domain for the nation and its allies," NRO officials wrote in the press release. "Every mission counts, every decision matters, and every advancement propels us further. 'Another One Gone — Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond' embodies the relentless pursuit of excellence."

NROL-77 was the third mission that SpaceX has launched this year for the NRO and U.S. Space Systems Command, according to the company; and it's the second NRO mission launched by SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract awarded in August 2020, which allocates missions between SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) over five order years.

This particular flight was part of Order Year 5, announced on October 31, 2023, and one of ten missions assigned to SpaceX that year with a combined value of $1.236 billion.

This launch was also the seventh Falcon 9 mission of 2025 carrying the “NROL-” designation, following previous flights such as NROL-153, NROL-57, NROL-69, NROL-192, NROL-145, and NROL-48. The NRO has also procured some missions outside the NSSL program, such as the NROL-174 mission launched on a Northrop Grumman Minotaur 4 rocket in April 2025, due to the need for a bridge between NSSL Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Tuesday's mission marked the final national security payload launch for the NRO in 2025 and the last Falcon 9 booster recovery at Landing Zone 2 (LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral, as SpaceX prepares to shift its recovery infrastructure to new landing sites due to the expiration of its lease at LZ-1 and LZ-2 by December 31, 2025.

Populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has formally rejected the EU Council's 2026 obligations under the Migration and Asylum Pact, declaring that Hungary will neither accept asylum seekers nor pay financial contributions to the solidarity mechanism In a post on X, Orbán declared, “The rebellion begins,” accusing Brussels of attempting to force Hungary to take in migrants or pay for others’ obligations, which he called “unacceptable.”

Orbán reiterated that Hungary will not implement the measures of the Pact, asserting that his country already invests heavily in protecting the EU’s external borders. This stance is consistent with his previous opposition to the Pact, which was approved by the EU in May 2024 despite Hungary’s vote against it.

"Brussels has launched a new, absurd, and unjust attack against Hungary with yesterday’s migration decision, the Prime Minister wrote on X. "The claim by the European Commission that Hungary is not affected by the migration crisis is outrageous in itself and completely detached from reality. Hungary is the most stable bastion of defence in Europe, and even this year tens of thousands have attempted to enter illegally. We stopped them with our border fence and thousands of border guards, which Brussels punishes with a fine of €1 million/day.

"We have closed the southern route, but with the migration pact we now face a western front. The latest Brusselian decision requires that from next July Hungary must either take migrants in from other European countries or pay for them.

"I want to make it absolutely clear once and for all that as long as Hungary has a national government, we will not implement this outrageous decision.

"Anyhow, July is far away. Elections are coming next April. The Hungarian people must make an important choice: do they want a government that will strike a deal with Brussels and accept the migration pact, or do they stand with the national government and a migrant-free Hungary?"

In contrast, Poland has been granted an exemption from the mandatory migrant relocation requirement under the Pact. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on X that Poland has been freed from its obligations under the bloc’s solidarity mechanism starting from 2026, following a decision by the European Council.

This exemption means Poland will not be required to accept asylum seekers or contribute financially to the solidarity pool, a move that aligns with Poland’s long-standing resistance to EU migration policies.

The EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, which will fully enter into force in June 2026, establishes a mandatory solidarity mechanism to redistribute asylum seekers from countries under migratory pressure—Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus—to other member states.

The European Commission proposed a solidarity pool of 30,000 relocations and €600 million in financial contributions, with quotas based on population and GDP.

However, several member states, including Germany and Sweden, have expressed a preference for paying financial contributions—estimated at €20,000 per person not relocated—rather than accepting asylum seekers Sweden is reportedly set to pay €9 million in contributions, reflecting its willingness to fulfill its obligations financially rather than through resettlement.

The Council of the European Union has decided that the initial implementation of the solidarity mechanism will cover 21,000 asylum seekers or a cost of €420 million for 2026, a figure lower than the Commission’s initial proposal.

This reduction is expected due to political pressure from member states seeking to limit their responsibilities. Despite this, the EU remains divided, with countries like Poland and Hungary actively challenging the Pact’s enforcement.

Notably, Hungary cannot receive an exemption, as confirmed by the European Commission, which insists all member states must comply with the rules on migration solidarity.

The broader context of the Pact stems from years of negotiations and deep divisions within the EU over migration policy. The Pact aims to standardize asylum procedures, improve border security, and ensure a fairer distribution of responsibility among member states.

However, countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, have consistently opposed the system, arguing it undermines national sovereignty and borders.

The current standoff reflects a growing rift between the EU’s central authority and member states that resist mandatory relocation and financial contributions, with Hungary’s defiance symbolizing a broader challenge to EU cohesion on migration.