Tanker slipped through US maritime blockade
US forces have seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker with links to Venezuela following a more than two-week pursuit across the Atlantic, a move that could further escalate tensions between Washington and Moscow.
According to reports by the Associated Press and Reuters, the tanker — previously known as Bella-1 — was intercepted on Wednesday after it allegedly slipped through a US maritime blockade imposed on sanctioned vessels linked to Venezuela. The seizure was carried out jointly by the US Coast Guard and the US military.
US officials said the tanker had repeatedly rebuffed attempts by the Coast Guard to board it. The operation took place in the North Atlantic near Iceland, with Russian military assets, including a submarine and a warship, reported to be operating in the broader vicinity at the time. However, it remains unclear how close the Russian vessels were to the interception.
This marks one of the rare instances in recent memory in which US forces have seized a Russian-flagged commercial vessel. The action follows another recent seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela, signalling an intensification of US enforcement against vessels accused of violating sanctions.
The development comes just days after a dramatic US special forces operation in Caracas that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a nighttime raid, an action that has already triggered sharp reactions from Russia and its allies.
Moscow is yet to issue a detailed response, though the seizure is expected to further strain relations between the two nuclear-armed powers amid growing geopolitical friction over Venezuela.
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Time for a nuclear missle or nuclear bomb(s) be hurled / dropped. The world for too long bore the idiosyncrasies of USA. Another WTO type of disaster may reset their supremacy to limits.