US seizes 2 oil tankers, draws Russia protests

The US has sharply intensified its economic and military pressure on Venezuela, intercepting two oil tankers in in ternational waters on Wednesday, including one sailing under a Russian flag.

- FPJ News Service

The operation has propelled the crisis onto a more dangerous global stage, drawing protests from Moscow and raising fears of a prolonged confrontation.

On Tuesday, Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval assets to the Northern Atlantic in order to escort the formally Guyana-flagged Iranian-linked sanctioned crude oil tanker, Bella 1 - now the Russian-flagged, Marinera - to its apparent intended destina tion in Northern Russia,

US officials said the Coast Guard, supported initially by American special forces and assets from the European Command, boarded the tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic near Iceland.

The vessel, known until recently as Bella1, had evaded a partial US maritime blockade in the Caribbean and resisted earlier attempts by the Coast Guard to inspect it. After a two-week pursuit across the Atlantic, American forces encountered no resistance from the crew and placed the ship under Coast Guard control.