Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN
Analysis - The Trump administration's seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela is one of the most dramatic twists yet in a military pressure campaign against Venezuelan dictator NicolΓ‘s Maduro.
The boarding of a foreign ship is an unusual step and expands a US operation already highlighted by strikes against more than 20 boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean that the administration claims carried drug traffickers.
Early reports suggest the swoop by US Coast Guard personnel, with the backing of the Navy and law enforcement agencies, poses fewer legal and constitutional concerns than the campaign against the boats and Trump's imminent threats of military action on Venezuelan soil.
The vessel, the Skipper, was seized in international waters and was carrying Venezuelan crude, a senior US official said. A federal judge had previously issued a warrant for its seizure because of alleged links to Iran-backed terror groups.
Still, Trump's relish in announcing the take-over of the ship and Attorney General Pam Bondi's release of a video showing US personnel rappelling onto its decks from a helicopter underscore the political significance of the moment.
With his characteristic flair for the dramatic, Trump announced to the press that the US had boarded a "large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually."
Photo: US DOJ
While the tanker might not have been directly related to the cu
Continue Reading on RNZ
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.