US Seizes Iranian Oil Tanker Bound for Venezuela

Record-Breaking Seizure of Crude Oil

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. Department of Justice announced on the 14th (local time) that it seized four Iranian vessels carrying Iranian oil bound for Venezuela and confiscated all the oil.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In a statement released that day, the Department of Justice said it successfully halted the transportation of millions of dollars worth of fuel by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

The amount seized from the four tankers was approximately 1,116,000 barrels, marking the largest case of fuel confiscation transported from Iran by the U.S. to date.

The Department of Justice explained, "With the help of foreign partners, the seized assets are currently held in the United States," but did not disclose details such as the circumstances, timing, or location of the seizure.

Amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, this is the first time the U.S. has confiscated cargo from Iranian vessels.