U.S. Seeks to Seize Third Venezuelan Tanker
The US Coast Guard has launched an "operation" focused on the Bella 1, a Panama-registered tanker currently under US sanctions as it sails toward Venezuela for crude loading, media reported, citing individuals with knowledge of the situation.
No official confirmation has emerged from either Washington or Caracas regarding the ongoing operation.
The pursuit follows the Saturday boarding of the Centuries supertanker and the December 10 interception of the Skipper.
These actions unfold against a backdrop of intensifying friction between the two nations.
US President Donald Trump announced a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
Venezuelan authorities have condemned the American operations as "international piracy."
The US government defends the enforcement measures as necessary tools against corruption and narcotics smuggling, while Caracas maintains that Washington exploits counter-drug operations as cover for regime change aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro and seizing control of Venezuelan petroleum assets.
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