The White House confirmed a major development in U.S. counter-sanctions enforcement after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that federal authorities have seized a vessel accused of transporting black-market oil linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to Leavitt, the Department of Justice obtained and executed a warrant to take custody of the “shadow vessel,” which officials say was carrying sanctioned crude as part of an illicit oil network.
00:00He talks a lot about how he thinks the way to bring down prices for everything would
00:05be to bring down the cost of energy.
00:07Would he use this seized Venezuelan oil to try to help Americans with affordability here
00:16in the United States?
00:17Well, what I can tell you right now, the vessel has been seized, as you know.
00:22And the Department of Justice did that in conjunction with the Coast Guard and the Department
00:27of War.
00:28The oil is currently undergoing a forfeiter process right now.
00:31The United States currently has a full investigative team on the ground, on the vessel, and individuals
00:36on board the vessel are being interviewed and any relevant evidence is being seized.
00:41With respect to the oil, that's a different issue, as you know, Peter.
00:45The vessel will go to a U.S. port and the United States does intend to seize the oil.
00:50However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil and that legal process will be
00:54followed.
00:55So this is a document, which is something his physical examinations has said in the past
00:59as well, which can contribute to that bruising that we see.
01:02Sure.
01:03Thank you Caroline. Back to the oil tanker, just wanted to know, was this a one-off or is it safe to say the administration is taking a more active look at the oil industry in Venezuela, whether targeting other oil shifts or perhaps Venezuelan oil production facilities in Venezuela?
01:22Well, I won't broadcast any future actions from the administration, but I will just reiterate that the Trump administration is executing on the president's sanctioned policies and the sanctioned policies of the United States, and we're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world and driving these trucks.
01:46So I know this is something DOT and Secretary Duffy take very seriously. Peter.
01:51Thank you Caroline. Based on the way that things stand right now, is Operation Southern Sphere about drugs or is it about oil?
02:01What I will tell you, Peter, is that the Trump administration is focused on doing many things in the Western Hemisphere.
02:08The president has taken a new approach that has not been taken by any administration for quite some time to actually focus on what's going on in our own backyard.
02:18And there are two things that are very important to this administration.
02:20Number one, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States of America, which we know has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
02:30The president promised on the campaign trail that he would demolish the foreign terrorist organizations and drug cartels around the world, especially right here in our own hemisphere.
02:40And you have seen that he is delivering on that promise.
02:42With respect to the oil and what happened yesterday, the Department of Justice requested and was approved for a warrant to seize a vessel because it's a sanctioned shadow vessel known for carrying black market sanctioned oil to the IRGC, which you know is a sanctioned entity.
02:58So the president is committed to stopping the illegal flow of drugs into our country.
03:03He's also fully committed to effectuating this administration's sanctioned policy.
03:07And that's what you saw and the world saw take place yesterday.
03:10And because you said the president is trying to do a lot of things at once, he talks a lot about how he thinks the way to bring down prices for everything would be to bring down the cost of energy.
03:20Would he use this seized Venezuelan oil to try to help Americans with affordability here in the United States?
03:30Well, what I can tell you right now, the vessel has been seized, as you know, and the Department of Justice did that in conjunction with the Coast Guard and the Department of War.
03:41The vessel is currently undergoing a forfeiter process right now.
03:44The United States currently has a full investigative team on the ground, on the vessel, and individuals on board the vessel are being interviewed, and any relevant evidence is being seized.
03:54With respect to the oil, that's a different issue.
03:57As you know, Peter, the vessel will go to a U.S. port, and the United States does intend to seize the oil.
04:03However, there is a legal process for the seizure of that oil, and that legal process will be followed.
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