The White House said the U.S. military's seizure of a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela followed due process.
On the 7th (local time), White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said at a regular briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., when asked whether the seizure of the Russian oil tanker risked provoking a bigger conflict, "The vessel seized in the North Atlantic was tracked and acted upon under a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court, and it belongs to a clandestine fleet from Venezuela that has been transporting sanctioned oil."
She added, "The United States under President Trump's administration will not tolerate such conduct," and "An order of seizure has been issued for the vessel, the crew members can be charged with federal offenses, and, if necessary, they will be extradited to the United States to face prosecution."
Earlier, U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "The Ministry of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of War (Department of Defense), announced the seizure of the Bella 1 for violating U.S. sanctions." The Bella 1, which was heading to Venezuela in the Caribbean last month, refused to comply with a U.S. Coast Guard interdiction and engaged in a pursuit for more than two weeks.
The ship initially did not fly a flag indicating its nationality, but after fleeing into the Atlantic it abruptly changed its name to "Marinera" and registered the vessel in Russia. A Russian flag was also hoisted on the hull. Russia then asked the United States to halt the pursuit.