Oil Sanctions
Update: New Details Emerge on Seized VLCC Skipper Tanker as Maduro Denounces U.S. ‘Piracy’
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Fresh reporting on the VLCC Skipper, the Venezuelan-linked oil tanker seized by U.S. forces off the country’s coast this week, indicates it was carrying about 1.1 million barrels of sanctioned crude, some of it tied to Cuba. President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the operation as “international piracy” amid intensifying U.S. pressure on his government.
In an escalation following last week's U.S. seizure of a large oil tanker off Venezuela's coast for sanctions violations, President Donald Trump ordered a blockade Tuesday of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country, intensifying pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government. Trump demanded Venezuela return 'stolen' U.S. oil, land, and assets, while Venezuelan officials condemned the move as a violation of international law.
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U.S. forces seized a crude oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Wednesday in an operation officials say is aimed at enforcing sanctions on Venezuelan oil sales. The vessel is accused of carrying sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran as part of an illicit shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi and other U.S. officials.