US hits six Venezuelan oil ships with fresh sanctions amid growing tensions
The sanctions come a day after the White House seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast
The US is continuing to apply pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after it imposed fresh sanctions on six more oil ships transporting his nation's oil.
Listen to this article
The sanctions come a day after the White House seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
The vessel, known as the Skipper, was taken into an American port after it was believed to be involved in "illicit oil shipping".
Read more: Putin throws support behind Maduro as tensions between US and Venezuela reach boiling point
Maduro's relatives and associated businesses have also been hit by US sanctions, as Donald Trump pushes to oust the the Venezuelan leader from his "illegitimate regime".
Washington has ramped up these efforts significantly in the past few months, unleashing several strikes on boats alleged to be carrying drugs from the South American nation - killing dozens.
Trump has also orchestrated a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and placed shipowners, operators and maritime agencies involved in transporting Venezuelan crude on high alert.
Many are now reconsidering whether to sail from Venezuelan waters in the coming days as planned, shipping sources said.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of being involved in the global drug trade.
But the Venezuelan leader - widely considered a dictator by the West - denies the claims and argues the US president's true motivation is to gain access to the country's oil reserves.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that the US was committed to both "stopping the flow of illegal drugs" into the country and enforcing sanctions.
"We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world," Leavitt said.
She did not discuss whether the US planned to see any more Venezuelan oil tankers, but confirmed Washington planned to legally seize the oil on board the Skipper.
Leavitt added that Trump was "not concerned at all" that Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier thrown his support behind Maduro.
Mr Putin spoke with Mr Maduro over the phone on Thursday, reassuring him of Moscow’s support for his government just hours after US troops seized the Skipper.
Following Wednesday's seizure, The White House released dramatic footage of soldiers ‘fast roping’ from a helicopter onto the deck of the tanker.
At least six troops, thought to be members of the US Coastguard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (Hitron), can be seen descending rapidly from a helicopter hovering just above the deck of the tanker.
Donald Trump told reporters: “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large – the largest one ever seized actually. "
The Venezuelan government issued a statement later on Wednesday accusing the US of “blatant theft” and “international piracy.”
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the US "murderers, thieves, pirates" and added that this was how the country had "started wars all over the world".
According to CBS, the US treasury department sanctioned the Skipper in 2022 for its alleged involvement in oil smuggling that generated revenue for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.