US seizes two tankers, including Russian-flagged vessel, as Venezuelan oil blockade intensifies

In separate military operations on Wednesday, US forces seized a Russian-flagged tanker after a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic Ocean and apprehended a second vessel near the Caribbean Sea, marking the latest enforcement of President Donald Trump’s blockade of Venezuelan oil exports.

The Russian-flagged tanker Bella 1 was boarded by US forces in the North Atlantic, officials said, after evading the blockade in mid-December.

The seizure was condemned by Moscow, which said, “No state has the right to use force against ships properly registered in the jurisdictions of other states.”

US military officials said the second vessel, named the Sophia, was “conducting illicit activities” at the time it was boarded, though they did not provide specifics.

The US Coast Guard, which had the lead in both operations Wednesday, was escorting the ship to the United States for “final disposition,” officials said.

The Trump administration has been targeting commercial vessels it says are part of a “dark fleet” of ships that carry Venezuelan oil for export using false paperwork in an attempt to skirt U.S. sanctions on those sales.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, in announcing the ship seizures, portrayed both actions as necessary to “disrupt the funding of narco terrorism.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media that the illegal transport of Venezuelan oil is tantamount to “stealing from the Venezuelan people” and suggested the seizures would continue against any exports not approved by the US.

Mr Trump has said the US is now “running” Venezuela after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

“Only legitimate and lawful energy commerce - as determined by the U.S. - will be permitted,” Mr Hegseth wrote.

In mid-December, Mr Trump ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all oil tankers under US sanctions from entering or leaving Venezuela, in what was seen as further escalation to get Maduro to vacate his office. Maduro was captured over the weekend and is now facing charges in the US, but Mr Trump has pledged to keep the blockade in place to put further pressure on Venezuela’s interim government.

In early December, the Coast Guard seized the Guyana-flagged vessel Skipper and escorted it into the Gulf of Mexico. The tanker is currently near the Port of Galveston, according to ship tracking data. The Justice Department has alleged it was part of network supporting Iranian-backed terrorist activity.

The Trump administration has faced questions about the legality of the ship seizures and whether they could provoke intervention from Russia or other countries.

Meg Kelly, Joyce Lee and John Hudson in Washington, and Francesca Ebel in London contributed to this report.

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