Khaberni - After a pursuit lasting more than two weeks across the Atlantic Ocean, the United States announced the seizure of an oil tanker flying the Russian flag and with connections to Venezuela.
The U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of War also stated today, Wednesday, that the seizure of the vessel "MV Bella 1" was due to its violation of U.S. sanctions.
The capture of the vessel in the North Atlantic was carried out under a search warrant issued by a U.S. federal court after it was detected by the U.S. Coast Guard vessel "USCGC Munro".
Meanwhile, U.S. War Secretary Pete Higseth confirmed in a post on his X account that "the blockade imposed on Venezuelan oil, which is subject to sanctions and is illegitimate, remains fully effective anywhere in the world".
Russian Submarine and Warship
Russia had sent a submarine and a warship to the area where the tanker was located, near Iceland's exclusive economic zone.
Meanwhile, two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the operation, which may escalate tensions with Moscow, "was carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. military," according to "Reuters".
Russian Military Ships
They also added that the Russian military ships were in the general area of the operation, including a Russian submarine.
However, it was unclear how close these ships were to the operation, which took place near Iceland.
Conversely, Russian media reported the abduction of the ship "Marinera".
The tanker, previously known as "Bella-1," managed to escape a U.S. naval "blockade" targeting sanctioned tankers and resisted U.S. Coast Guard efforts to board it.
It seems that this is the first time that the U.S. military has seized a ship flying the Russian flag.
The U.S. Coast Guard first attempted to intercept the vessel last month (December 2025), but it refused to allow boarding. Since then, the tanker has been registered under the Russian flag, as "Marinera," becoming the latest tanker targeted by the United States since the launch of President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against Venezuela.
Furthermore, the U.S. Coast Guard separately intercepted another tanker linked to Venezuela in Latin American waters, according to U.S. officials.
While the United States continues to impose a "blockade" at sea on vessels subject to sanctions coming from Venezuela.
