American Forces Seize Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast in Dramatic Escalation of Regional Tensions

Calling it the largest tanker ever seized, President Trump says American forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela in a move that could escalate tensions in the region.“And other things are happening so you’ll be seeing that later,” Mr. Trump said during a business roundtable at the White House Wednesday afternoon.Mr. Trump didn’t add any additional details, including what flag the ship sailed under. The United States Southern Command declined to provide more details on the seizure to the Sun.Venezuela has the largest known oil reserves in the world. It has increased oil exports this year in an attempt to prop up its economy under harsh American sanctions. Oil futures inched up after the first reports of the incident.The Trump administration has been increasing pressure on President Nicolás Maduro in an effort to oust him. President Trump said Mr. Maduro’s “days are numbered” in an interview published on Tuesday. There has been a buildup of American forces in the region and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford was positioned near Venezuela last month in a show of force.The United States Navy has previously not targeted Venezuelan oil tankers, but last month an American war ship intercepted a sanctioned Russian oil tanker attempting to reach Venezuela. It turned around after the USS Stockdale positioned itself in the ship’s path. The American military has also carried out at least 21 deadly strikes on small boats it claims were smuggling drugs from Venezuela to the United States through the Caribbean. News of the seizure came out the same day that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado‘s daughter accepted her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Ms. Machado had been in hiding but slipped out of Venezuela in order to attend other events in Norway in the coming days.“As soon as I arrive I will be able to embrace all my family and my children that I have not seen for two years and so many Venezuelan-Norwegians that I know share our struggle,” Ms. Machado said in a phone call with Nobel officials while traveling to Oslo.Most of Venezuela’s oil exports go to Asia, but China and other buyers have been seeking discounts due to a surplus of oil from Russia and Iran, Reuters reports.

American Forces Seize Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast in Dramatic Escalation of Regional Tensions

American Forces Seize Oil Tanker Off Venezuelan Coast in Dramatic Escalation of Regional Tensions

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