Russia has sent a submarine to escort an Iranian-linked sanctioned oil tanker in the Atlantic – sparking fears of a confrontation with the US.The vessel, once known as the Guyana-flagged, Iranian-linked sanctioned Bella 1 and now renamed the Russian-flagged Marinera, is said to be heading toward its apparent destination in northern Russia, a US official told the Wall Street Journal.Last month, a White House official said the US Coast Guard was potentially planning to board the tanker in attempts to seize it.The ship has since been spotted in the Atlantic about 500 miles from the west coast of Ireland, according to The Telegraph, with a Coast Guard vessel on its tail.
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The Marinera has been under surveillance by the US as it makes its journey across the Atlantic.It was also tracked by the US, UK, France and Ireland from the air after it escaped US interception in December.A US Navy P‑8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was spotted tracking the vessel as it passed the south of Iceland, before returning to RAF Mildenhall.But now, a submarine and multiple Russian Navy vessels are on their way to bring it back to Russia, the Wall Street Journal revealed.As a result, speculation is rising that the Marinera may carry more than just Venezuelan oil – with Iranian fuel or even Russian weapons shipments among the most widely-circulated theories.The hullking vessel had left Iran and was heading to Nicolas Maduro’s country – before he was captured and taken to New York.It then went “dark” for two weeks, before reappearing in the north Atlantic en route to Russia.TankerTrackers.com has claimed the vessel previously transported millions of barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan crude to China between 2021 and 2025.It has been under US Treasury sanctions since June 2024 – accused of transporting illicit oil cargoes linked to a Hezbollah-connected firm.If American forces were to board the Russia-bound vessel, it would mirror operations carried out last month, which saw the seizure of two sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela after they left port.US forces captured the Skipper and Centuries, the latter carrying approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude oil destined for China according to internal documents from state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela.After the successful seizures, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism in the region.”We will find you, and we will stop you.”RUSSIA – READ THE LATEST:Iran’s Supreme Leader ‘prepared to escape to Moscow’ if civil turmoil escalates’You know what to do!’ Volodymyr Zelensky urges US to capture Vladimir Putin after Venezuela raid’Absolute irony!’ Nana Akua blasts Russian critics of Donald Trump’s Venezuelan airstrikesVenezuela’s far-left government denounced the interceptions as “a serious act of international piracy” and accused US military personnel of “theft and hijacking”.Venezuela has the largest crude oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 300 billion barrels left unused.Donald Trump previously ordered a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela in a bid to choke off revenue for Mr Maduro’s regime.Venezuela has maintained close ties with Russia in recent years, and the Kremlin condemned the US military action which saw the dictator captured as an unlawful breach of sovereignty and a serious “neo-colonial” intervention.On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed the appointment of Delcy Rodriquez as the country’s interim president, describing it as a move to safeguard peace and stability in the face of “foreign armed aggression”.A statement released by the department read: “We firmly insist that Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive external interference.”We welcome the efforts undertaken by the official authorities of this country to protect state sovereignty and national interests.”We reaffirm Russia’s unwavering solidarity with the Venezuelan people and government.”Mr Maduro became the second pro-Kremlin leader to be toppled in just over a year, following the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.A senior Russian official told Reuters this week that if Mr Trump is claiming the Western Hemisphere as part of a revived Monroe Doctrine, then Russia has a right to assert influence over its own region.Our Standards:
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