Overview
- White House officials say the seized tanker will head to a U.S. port and that Washington intends to retain the crude, while acknowledging legal questions about the move.
- The Justice Department says the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Coast Guard, with Defense Department support, executed a federal seizure as video showed a helicopter boarding.
- Maritime data identify the vessel as the Skipper, a VLCC carrying about 1.1 million barrels, sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2022 over alleged IRGC and Hezbollah links, with tracking suggesting transponder concealment.
- U.S. officials say the cargo is subject to sanctions and originated from Venezuela and Iran, and reporting indicates the ship was bound for Cuba.
- Caracas denounces “piracy” as Russia backs Maduro and the U.N. urges restraint, while U.S. forces maintain intensified flights and naval presence near Venezuelan waters.