The United States has seized a ship in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. officials told BBC News partner CBS.
This is the second time this month that the United States has seized a vessel off the coast of the country.
The action follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s call Tuesday evening for an executive order imposing a “blockade” on the movement of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
Venezuela has not yet responded to the new U.S. intervention, but has previously accused Washington of seeking to steal its oil resources.
The BBC contacted the White House for comment.
The operation was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, similar to an operation conducted earlier this month, CBS reported.
The vessel was followed by a specialized tactical team.
In recent weeks, the United States has begun bolstering its military presence in the Caribbean and has carried out lethal strikes on ships suspected of smuggling alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers, resulting in the deaths of about a hundred people.
The United States has provided no public evidence that these vessels were carrying drugs, and the military launches have drawn increasing attention from Congress.
The United States has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a terrorist organization called the “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns), which he denies.
The Trump administration has been accused of using the oil “blockade” to push its own interests, through threats of terror, raids, killings, and kidnappings.
Venezuela—a kingdom with some of the largest proven oil reserves in the world—relies heavily on revenue from its oil production to fund government spending.
Trump announced the “blockade” two weeks after the United States seized an oil tanker believed to be part of a “ghost fleet” off the coast of Venezuela, which had used various strategies to hide its activity.
The White House stated that the vessel in question, named the “Skipper,” was involved in “illicit oil transport” and was being directed to a U.S. base.
The Venezuelan government condemned the event, with Maduro saying the United States had “detained the crew” and “stolen” the ship.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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