A U.S. court on Friday released a heavily redacted warrant authorising the seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, underscoring Washington’s escalating campaign to enforce sanctions against what it describes as narco-terrorist and terrorist-linked networks.
The warrant allowed U.S. forces this week to take control of the tanker M/T Skipper, formerly known as the Adisa, in a helicopter-borne operation carried out by the Coast Guard just before the order expired. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the raid was aimed squarely at President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, while U.S. officials framed the seizure as a necessary blow against illicit oil trafficking.
According to the Justice Department, the vessel was part of an oil shipping network supporting Hezbollah and a unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both designated foreign terrorist organisations by the United States. Proceeds from such shipments, Washington says, are used to finance terrorism and destabilising activity across the region.
“The seizure of this vessel highlights our successful efforts to impose costs on the governments of Venezuela and Iran,” FBI Director Kash Patel said, adding that U.S. agencies would continue cutting adversaries off from global markets.The White House confirmed the tanker would be brought to a U.S. port, with the oil seized and the crew released. Caracas denounced the move as “piracy,” but Washington has dismissed such claims, insisting it will not allow sanctioned oil to fund rogue regimes.
