U.S. authorities are planning further maritime interdictions targeting Venezuelan oil shipments following a court-authorized seizure carried out this week, according to officials and published reports.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The United States is preparing to seize additional oil tankers operating off Venezuela’s coast after completing an initial operation earlier this week, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters.
The seizure carried out Wednesday marked a significant expansion of U.S. enforcement activity in the Caribbean as the Trump administration continues to apply pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whose government has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019. U.S. officials have accused the Maduro government of using illicit oil exports to generate revenue for sanctioned actors abroad.
At a White House briefing Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Department of Justice obtained a warrant authorizing the seizure because the vessel was “a sanctioned shadow vessel known for carrying black-market oil” on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Additional interdictions are expected in the coming weeks against vessels transporting Venezuelan oil to other sanctioned nations, according to Reuters. Sources told the news agency that the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security have been planning the seizures for months and have assembled a list of specific ships targeted for potential action.
Leavitt declined to provide operational details or timelines but said the administration is “not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world.”
U.S. military forces have gradually increased their presence in the southern Caribbean near Venezuela’s coastline over recent months, fueling speculation that Washington is preparing for broader enforcement actions against the Maduro government.
President Donald Trump said Maduro’s “days are numbered” during an interview published Tuesday. Trump has also previously offered Maduro a deal that would have allowed safe passage for him and his family if he agreed to step down and leave the country. The United States has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro, the largest reward ever offered for a sitting head of state.
Venezuela’s economy is heavily reliant on petroleum exports to support government finances, while also enjoying the world’s largest proven oil reserves. Despite reserves nearly four times larger than those of the United States, Venezuela’s oil revenues have continued to decline in recent years.
U.S. officials have said that disrupting Venezuelan oil exports through tanker seizures would sharply limit the Maduro government’s access to revenue, increasing economic pressure on both the administration and the country as a whole.
Original article
Comments