Trump's Lurch Into Naked Piracy Shows the Danger of Oil but We Still Have a Way to Beat It

Trump's lurch into naked piracy shows the danger of oil but we still have a way to beat it

I don’t know enough maritime law to tell you exactly why it’s wrong for America to be dropping troops onto tankers to seize them — just to say that, no matter what legalistic excuse the administration cooks up, it looks exactly like being a pirate. (It’s worth remembering that the US Navy was founde...

U.S. Tightens Sanctions on Venezuela and Plans to Seize More Oil Tankers as Trump Threatens War

The Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Venezuela Thursday as President Trump repeated his threats to begin military strikes on land targets in Venezuela. The new sanctions target family members of President Nicolás Maduro, as well as six crude oil tankers and associated shipping companies. Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting the U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil, after it seized a massive Venezuelan oil…

U.S. Tightens Grip on Venezuela With New Wave of Sanctions

The United States has broadened its sanctions campaign against Venezuela by targeting additional individuals connected to the country’s leadership and vessels involved in transporting crude oil, reports Reuters. The move represents a calculated escalation aimed at restricting the financial channels that support the current administration in Caracas. Authorities introduced new sanctions on three relatives of Venezuela’s first lady, citing their i…

U.S. adds more Venezuela-linked tankers to sanctions list

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) yesterday issued new sanctions on the Venezuelan oil sector that included six shipping companies and six ships associated with them. This has led to media and industry speculation that they could be subject the same sort of seizure action as the Skipper, the vessel shown in a video released on X by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Securit…