Tanker Seized By US Off Venezuela Was Part Of Iranian Shadow Fleet

https://www.rferl.org/a/tanker-seized-us-venezuela-iranian-shadow-fleet/33620478.html

28 Comments

  1. Then why is Russia asking for an explanation? I doubt Iran is selling oil to Russia they have too much already..

  2. CircumspectCapybara on

    Reminder that, assuming this is all true, international law permits such an action. You are allowed to seize a vessel that’s violating sanctions and flying a false flag.

    Iran is sanctioned from selling oil, and is well known to use a shadow fleet to sell oil in violation of sanctions. And (according to all the articles on this) the ship in question was flying a Guyanan flag, but Guyana themselves said that’s not their ship, so it’s sailing under a false flag, pretending to be Guyanan when it’s actually Iranian. So the USN is well within their rights and maritime norms to interdict and seize it.

  3. doneandtired2014 on

    So…let me get this straight.

    Trump and SS Oberst Gruppenfuhrer Hegseth, through sheer incompetence alone, managed to do the right thing for entirely the wrong reasons?

    Goddamn, I’d hate to be an Onion writer.

  4. So far we have three different stories about this tanker.

    Story 1: Venezuelan tanker seized

    Story 2: Russian oligarch tanker seized

    Story 3: Iranian tanker seized.

    What the hell is going on with reporters and this story?

  5. Independent-File-519 on

    The tds faction will find a way to make them victims. They are as bad as the tea baggers 

  6. So does that mean we can start sinking and seizing the Russian shadow fleet? Please fucking god, let Zelensky start issuing letters of marque and reignite the game of privateers. There is another Francis Drake out there just waiting for the chance.

  7. If wish this was a movie this would be the point that I whisper to my wife that I have no idea what’s going on.

  8. BlacklightChainsaw on

    I do actually enjoy when Reddit allows both sides to actually have a civil debate on this one.

    *sorts by controversial*

    Oof. I think I’ll retract my statement.

  9. first russian shadow fleets, now Iranian shadow fleets…

    ….. should i be thinking of getting a shadow fleet ??

  10. Yeah, this actually sounds like a legit activity. I wish they would do this on Russias shadow fleet though.

  11. Surprise! Still people will complain that the US of A is a bully.  Probably a bad analogy, but if the guy across the street keeps dumping garbage in your front yard, and you’ve asked him numerous times to knock it of…eventually, you are going to stop talking and start taking action.  No?

  12. Reddit’s going to pretend they didn’t see this because their knee-jerk anger was was more fun than reality