U.S. Coast Guard ramps up oil tanker interceptions off Venezuelan coast

John Yang:

Good evening. I'm John Yang. President Trump's pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro mounted today as the Coast Guard went after another oil tanker that U.S. officials say was helping Venezuela get around sanctions. If they intercept it would be the third time in less than two weeks and the second time this weekend.

Yesterday, the Coast Guard stopped and boarded a Panamanian flag tacker carrying Venezuela crude oil to Asia. Venezuela called it theft and hijacking.

Last week, President Trump announced a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned tankers headed to and from Venezuela. Idrees Ali is the national security correspondent for Reuters. Idrees, what do we know? What's the latest? What do we know about today's pursuit?

Idrees Ali, National Security Correspondent, Reuters:

Yeah, this has been a pretty busy weekend when it comes to Coast Guard activity around Venezuela. And so what we know basically is that earlier today on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard, with help from the U.S. Navy, tried to interdict a vessel that was sanctioned by the United States and has historically carried oil to and from Venezuela.

The latest reporting we have is that this pursuit is still ongoing because the vessel in question has not given up, has not allowed them to come on board. And so it's a pretty active situation. We don't know how it's going to get resolved. But it is international waters, it is sanctioned.

And so it's pretty much in line with what President Trump said the U.S. would be doing, which is going after sanctioned oil tankers that are carrying oil to and from Venezuela.

John Yang:

This all started with drug boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific. But how much of an escalation does this represent?

Idrees Ali:

You know, from the officials I've talked to and the experts we've talked to, this does represent an escalation because it's one thing to be striking suspected drug boats that are in and around Venezuela. It's another thing to really put pressure on the economic lifeline of Venezuelan President Maduro, and that's oil. It's really one of the few things that brings in money for the government.

And when you go after that, you're really sending a message that this isn't just about drug boats, drugs. It's about cutting off really, you know, the scarce resources Maduro relies on. And it really sends a message, I think, to the Venezuelan government and people that the United States is really focused not just on, you know, going after drugs, but potentially getting rid of Maduro. And I think we're seeing that in action.

John Yang:

What's the legal basis or international law basis for what the administration's doing?

Idrees Ali:

So much like most legal things, there is a debate, and not everyone agrees on what the legal basis is. So by definition, the Coast Guard has different authorities. And so they do have the authority to go after stateless vessels or vessels that they suspect are carrying goods like narcotics and to really check the registry.

So the Coast Guard has quite a bit of leeway. That's what the administration is saying. Look, these are vessels that the U.S. has sanctioned. They could be carrying dangerous goods, and they're carrying sanctioned oil in many cases, or that's the allegation. Legal experts disagree. They say just because a vessel is sanctioned by a country does not mean that you can board it.

And so there's a legal sort of real jostle going on right now. And, you know, it really comes against the backdrop of what the precedent might be, right? So if you have the Chinese sanctioning a vessel, you know, U.S. or allied, and they say, look, we're going to go board this vessel because it's sanctioned, I think legal experts are saying, look, you can't have that.

The rules sort of based international order doesn't allow that. So there's a real debate about what the legal basis is. And, you know, again, the whole campaign we've seen since September has been legally questionable. You know, the strikes against suspected drug vessels has really been under a microscope when it comes to legalese. You know, can you really strike a boat that's carrying maybe drugs? Can you really kill someone for that? And most legal experts think no.

John Yang:

Are all three shifts involved in this? Are they all on the sanction list? US Sanction list.

Idrees Ali:

So the first one was on the sanction list. The one today is Sunday is also on the sanction list. The one on Saturday was interesting because actually it was not on the sanction list. It was what is known as a shadow vessel. So it's not sanctioned, but it's a vessel that is essentially spoofing its location, changing its name, changing its location to get around some of the restrictions.

But it was not sanctioned. And I think that's what raised a lot of eyebrows for people. The administration said, well, it might not be sanctioned, but it's carrying sanctioned oil. That wasn't what President Trump had said would be happening. He said the U.S. would be going after sanctioned tankers. And so two out of three met the criteria. The one yesterday on Saturday did not.

And I think that's raising a lot of concerns because some of that oil was destined for China. So I think the Chinese government is going to have a lot to say about that.

John Yang:

In about 45 seconds we have left as President Trump talks about taking this onshore in Venezuela. Remind us what the military buildup has been like in the region.

Idrees Ali:

Yeah, the military buildup has been huge. You know, in the past week, we have seen the administration, you know, really lay out its strategy and its national security strategy documents, saying they want to return to the Monroe Doctrine, which is basically saying the U.S. is going to look after the Western Hemisphere, every other country should stay out.

And to that end, they have deployed an aircraft carrier, about 20 F-35 jets, and at least 11 other warships. And so the buildup is just massive. It's not something you see just for strikes against suspected vessels or going after sanctioned oil tankers. It really is if you are looking to change not just a regime, but really the way the Western Hemisphere currently is and how the US Is interacting with it.

John Yang:

Idrees Ali of Reuters, thank you very much.

Idrees Ali:

Thanks for having me.