U.S. Seizes Four Iranian Tankers Carrying Fuel to Venezuela
- DOJ says move is biggest confiscation of Iran fuel shipments
- Ships turned off their satellite-tracking systems in May-July
Photographer: Marcelo del Pozo/Bloomberg
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The U.S. seized four tankers carrying Iranian gasoline bound for Venezuela in an unprecedented move by the Trump administration that carries the potential to destabilize global oil shipments if Iran retaliates.
The tankers were transporting 1.116 million barrels of petroleum, which has now been confiscated after help from “foreign partners,” the Justice Department said in a statement Friday. It is not clear where the ships were at the time of the seizures because they had all turned off their satellite-tracking systems to avoid detection between May and July, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.