Russia has deployed naval vessels to escort an oil tanker that is simultaneously being pursued by U.S. forces across the Atlantic Ocean, according to a CBS News report.
The tanker, historically used to transport Venezuelan crude oil, was reportedly traveling empty between Scotland and Iceland as of Tuesday.
The high-seas standoff follows President Donald Trump’s declaration last month of a “blockade” to stop sanctioned oil tankers from entering or leaving Venezuela—a move the Venezuelan government condemned as “theft.”
In the days leading up to the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuela’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro, on Saturday, Trump also repeatedly accused Venezuela’s government of using ships to smuggle drugs into the United States.
The current pursuit of the tanker appears to be an extension of this broader U.S. pressure campaign targeting Venezuelan assets and influence.
By James Kisoo
