US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the country had seized a "very large" tanker, which, according to information provided to Bloomberg, had been subject to US sanctions.
The Venezuelan government is now accusing the US of theft.
In a statement, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry wrote, among other things, that it "strongly condemns and criticizes" the US's actions and that "it constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy."
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro demanded late Wednesday evening that Washington cease its interventions against the Latin American country.
The US has in recent months carried out attacks on ships allegedly transporting drugs off the coast of Venezuela, with Trump blaming Venezuela's Maduro as partly responsible.
