U.S. Coast Guard pursues sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela as part of intensified enforcement push
The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday it was tracking an oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. According to officials, the vessel is subject to U.S. sanctions. The agency did not disclose the exact coordinates of the operation.
The pursuit is the second such action taken this weekend and the third in under a week. “The ship is under sanctions,” one anonymous source noted, though the agency remained tight-lipped about its location.
White House officials were slow to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The move comes amid President Donald Trump’s recent announcement of a “blockade” targeting any oil tankers traveling to or from Venezuela that fall under sanctions. Trump’s hard‑line campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has already led to a surge in U.S. military activity in the region, including more than 20 air strikes on vessels near the South American nation. The attacks have killed at least 100 people in the Caribbean and Pacific waters surrounding Venezuela.
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters on Sunday that the first two vessels seized were linked to black‑market oil flows supplying sanctioned states. “I don’t think people need to worry here in the U.S. that oil prices will jump because of these ship seizures,” Hassett said. “These are just a couple of ships, and they were black‑market operations.”
An oil trader who spoke to Reuters warned that the seizures heighten geopolitical risks and may push prices higher once Asian trading resumes on Monday. The trader noted that a potential end to the war in Ukraine could temper some of the gains in oil’s price growth.
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