Millions of barrels of oil are at stake — a military conflict seems likelier than ever. US Forces are Pursuing an Oil Tanker Bound for Venezuela, According to Media Reports. The United States, which on Tuesday announced a naval blockade around Venezuela against oil tankers under sanctions, has already seized two vessels accused of transporting Venezuelan crude. According to local US media, US forces pursued an oil tanker approaching Venezuela in Caribbean waters on Sunday, as part of Washington's blockade against crude tankers linked to Caracas. "The U.S. Coast Guard is actively pursuing a sanctioned vessel that is involved in Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion. The last one was intercepted on Saturday by the US Coast Guard during an operation described by Caracas as 'robbery and kidnapping'. Neither tanker has been sanctioned by the U.S., so technically they're not running Trump's blockade. Venezuela is testing President Trump's blockade of sanctioned oil tankers by letting two crude-laden vessels motor out from the South American nation's ports — including one with a military escort. According to the TankerTrackers website, it was en route to Venezuela and was not carrying cargo. The vessel was identified by these media outlets as the Bella 1 oil tanker, which has been under US sanctions since 2024 for its links to Iran and Hezbollah. Why it matters: This newest cat-and-mouse game between Trump and Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro is heightening the tension in the Caribbean. 'It is flying a false flag and is subject to a court-ordered seizure,' a U.S. official told NBC on condition of anonymity. The New York Times said that U.S. forces approached on Saturday night and tried to intercept it after obtaining a warrant from a federal judge, but the vessel continued on its route.
