MICHAEL WALSH NEWS Russia and China are closely monitoring the situation. They are observing as Trump on Steroids decides who buys and who doesn’t buy Venezuelan oil.

President Donald Trump wants to control Venezuela’s oil production and trade indefinitely.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is pursuing court warrants. They aim to seize dozens more tankers suspected of transporting Venezuelan oil without Washington’s authorisation.

The move aims to solidify Washington’s grip on the South American nation’s oil exports. This follows the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro in a US special forces raid on January 3.

The US military and Coast Guard have already seized five vessels in recent weeks. These were intercepted in international waters. This includes the Russian-flagged Marinera northwest of Scotland.

The US Justice Department has filed a number of non-public civil forfeiture actions, primarily in Washington DC district courts. They are seeking warrants to seize dozens more tankers.

These tankers are accused of evading sanctions and moving oil from Venezuela, Iran, and Russia.

It remains unclear how many new seizure warrants Washington is seeking. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declared last week that the US would hunt down all dark fleet vessels transporting Venezuelan oil.

They would seize these vessels at the time and place of their choosing.

The push aligns with Trump’s stated goal to control Venezuela’s oil resources. The White House claims its actions are necessary to rebuild Venezuela’s industry for the benefit of the people. However, critics say the campaign represents an unprecedented and highly illegal extraterritorial application of US law. They also highlight unilateral sanctions.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the seizure of the Marinera. They view it as a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This convention guarantees freedom of navigation in international waters.

The Russian Transport Ministry confirmed the tanker was operating under a Russian flag. It complied with Russian and international law when boarded.

The US raid against the Marinera had British support. A separate BBC report suggests that the UK government is exploring its own legal justifications for detaining Russia-linked tankers.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Western governments have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia. They are targeting its oil trade and what they call its shadow fleet. London alone has imposed sanctions on more than 500 vessels.

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