Overview
- A heavily redacted U.S. court warrant authorized the Coast Guard’s helicopter boarding and seizure of the M/T Skipper off Venezuela just before the order expired.
- The Justice Department and FBI say the tanker moved sanctioned fuel in a network supporting Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, framing the operation as counterterror finance enforcement.
- The White House says the ship will be brought to a U.S. port with the oil targeted for forfeiture, and officials indicated Galveston, Texas, as the expected destination with the crew to be released on arrival.
- Treasury announced new sanctions on six oil tankers, related shipping firms, and relatives linked to President Nicolás Maduro’s family as part of efforts to constrict oil revenue.
- President Trump claims a 96% drop in maritime drug flows and says land strikes on traffickers will begin soon, drawing condemnation from Venezuela and Iran and intensifying legal and diplomatic disputes.