WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Venezuela wants oil seized from one of its tankers in the Caribbean to be included in a broader deal with Washington.

Rubio told reporters on Capitol Hill that “one of those ships that were seized that had oil in the Caribbean … (interim authoritries in Venezuela) want that oil that was seized to be part of this deal.”

“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,” he added.

The remarks came as the US military and Coast Guard apprehended a “stateless, sanctioned dark fleet” motor tanker, the M/T Sophia, operating in international waters in the Caribbean Sea, and escorted it to the US for final disposition, as announced by the military's Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which operates in the region.

Rubio also outlined what he described as a “threefold process” regarding Venezuela, beginning with stabilizing the country and preventing it from descending into chaos.

He said the strongest US leverage comes from its oil “quarantine,” and pointed to recent seizures of additional ships under sanctions enforcement efforts.

“We are in the midst right now, and in fact about to execute, on a deal to take all the oil they have, oil that is stuck in Venezuela. They can't move it because of our quarantine,” Rubio said, adding that between 30 million and 50 million barrels would be sold in the US at market rates.

He said the next phase would focus on national reconciliation, including amnesty for opposition figures, the release of prisoners and rebuilding of civil society. Rubio noted that Venezuela’s interim authorities could not generate any revenue from oil unless the US allows it under the sanctions framework.

“This is tremendous leverage, and we are exercising it in a positive way,” Rubio said.

The US has maintained a blockade on sanctioned vessels entering and leaving the waters of Venezuela, siezing at least four vessels carrying oil from the South American country.

The measure has been part of escalating pressure on Venezuela, which came to head on early Saturday when US forces launched airstrikes on targets in the northern part of the country, while special operations forces conducted a raid in the capital Caracas to seize the country's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

During the first hearing in their trial on drug- and weapons-related charges, both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Trump administration has framed the operation as part of a revived enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine and a crackdown on alleged narco-trafficking and corruption, while also explicitly linking it to securing US influence over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.