The United States Coast Guard is seizing a sanctioned vessel off the Venezuelan coast, two U.S. officials confirm to NBC News.
The operation is in progress. It was first reported by Reuters.
The Coast Guard is taking the lead, both officials said. The U.S. military is supporting with helicopters that are dropping off Coast Guard personnel and observing overhead, one of the officials said.
This comes after the U.S. interdicted a large, sanctioned oil tanker known as the Skipper off the coast of Venezuela last week. The ship, previously identified by the Treasury Department as the Adisa, is an oil tanker tied to a sanctions-evading smuggling network that U.S. officials say moved Iranian oil to generate revenue for Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the operation a successful one, “to ensure that we’re pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs and killing our next generation of Americans.”
After that operation, the Trump administration sanctioned six more ships believed to be carrying Venezuelan oil.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela.
On Tuesday, Trump ordered a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers coming and going from Venezuela, increasing pressure on the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
The administration’s campaign has already resulted in 28 known boat strikes that have killed more than 100 people, including a “double tap” strike facing congressional scrutiny.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
