UK involved in US seizure of oil tanker with links to Russia and Iran, MoD says
The US says it has seized a tanker linked to Venezuelan oil in the North Atlantic
Earlier, several military aircraft were tracked heading towards the vessel, the Marinera. Footage released by Russian media also appears to show a US vessel close to the ship
BBC Verify is following the tanker’s journey – it’s around 200km (120 miles) south of Iceland and recently changed course
The ship is accused of breaking US sanctions and shipping Iranian oil – it’s historically transported Venezuelan crude oil but reports say it’s empty at the moment
Reports previously said Russia had deployed a submarine and other vessels to escort the tanker across the Atlantic. The US European Command says the US Department of Justice and Homeland Security have “today announced the seizure of the M/V Bella 1 for violations of US sanctions”.
In a post on X, they add: “The vessel was seized in the North Atlantic pursuant to a warrant issued by a US federal court after being tracked by USCGC Munro.”
