Trump's oil push widens

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US boards tanker that escaped blockade and put up Russian flag

The vessel tanker Bella 1 at Singapore Strait, in this picture taken from social media on March 18, 2025. Hakon Rimmereid/via REUTERS/File Photo

The US said it had seized a Russian-flagged, Venezuela-linked tanker as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive push to dictate oil flows in the Americas and force Caracas' socialist government to become its ally.

Having deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Washington is blockading sanctioned vessels in and out of waters off the South American OPEC member. The US Coast Guard and military apprehended the Marinera tanker that refused to be boarded last month and switched to Moscow's flag, officials said. The US-sanctioned tanker, which is empty, was originally called the Bella-1.

With a Russian submarine and vessels nearby after a two-week pursuit in the Atlantic, the move risked more confrontation with Moscow.

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