The United States says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil exports in "back-to-back" operations in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean.
US forces boarded the Russian-flagged Marinera after a pursuit lasting almost two weeks and as it travelled through the waters between Iceland and Scotland. The British Navy gave logistical support by air and sea.
A second tanker - the M/T Sophia - was accused by the US of "conducting illicit activities" and boarded in the Caribbean.
The moves come as the US seeks to choke off most exports of Venezuelan crude oil, and just days after its special forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a lighting raid on his residence in Caracas.
In a post on X, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote: "The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT - anywhere in the world."
