Warrants filed against oil tankers

WASHINGTON — The US administration of Donald Trump has filed court warrants targeting oil tankers linked to Venezuela, according to media reports on Tuesday.

The US government has filed multiple civil forfeiture actions in federal courts to seize and confiscate oil cargo and vessels involved in the US-sanctioned Venezuelan trade, Reuters reported.

It remained unclear how many seizure warrants the United States is seeking.

The Pentagon said on Friday that it "will hunt down and interdict all dark fleet vessels transporting Venezuelan oil at the time and place of our choosing".

Trump announced the United States would control Venezuela's oil resources after the Pentagon launched a large-scale strike in the oil-rich South American nation and seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 3. Maduro is now in custody in New York to stand trial on drug charges.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said last week that the United States will not only market stored oil in Venezuela but also control the sales of oil output from the country indefinitely.

The US forces have seized five oil tankers linked to Venezuela since December.

Meanwhile, Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez is planning to send an envoy to Washington this week as the US administration is weighing the possibility of reopening its embassy in the oil-rich South American nation, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Felix Plasencia, Venezuela's ambassador to Britain and former foreign minister, is planning to meet US senior officials in Washington at Rodriguez's behest, said the report, citing people familiar with the plans.

Maria Corina Machado, one of Venezuela's major opposition figures, is expected to visit the White House.

A spokesperson for the US State Department said on Friday that personnel from the department's Colombia-based Venezuela Affairs Unit will "conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations" in Venezuela.

Xinhua