_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
US forces have seized multiple sanctioned oil tankers in the Atlantic Ocean, escalating a standoff over Russia’s, Iran’s, and Venezuela’s use of a “shadow fleet” to evade Western sanctions.
The vessels are allegedly part of a dark armada that transports illicit cargo and funds for military operations, like in Ukraine. The first seized ship, the Marinera, attempted to avoid capture by changing its name from Bella 1 and painting a Russian flag on its hull after escaping a US blockade near Venezuela in December.
These seizures represent a much more aggressive posture by the United States to push back against the Russia-Iran-Venezuela alliance in the Western Hemisphere.
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