00:00The U.S. is pursuing a third oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela,
00:07according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
00:11The official said the ship was part of a Venezuelan shadow fleet used to evade sanctions.
00:17Another official said the ship had not yet been boarded,
00:20but if the operation is successful, it would mark the third of its kind in less than two weeks.
00:25Over the weekend, the U.S. had seized another tanker,
00:28which the White House described as a falsely flagged vessel
00:31operating as part of Venezuela's shadow fleet to transport stolen oil.
00:37Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced the campaign on Sunday,
00:41accusing the U.S. of piracy and said he would file a complaint with the U.N. Security Council.
00:47Last week, the Trump administration announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers
00:52entering or leaving Venezuela, demanding the return of assets seized from U.S. oil companies years ago.
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