A dramatic escalation at sea.
The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, accusing it of violating sanctions by transporting Venezuelan oil as part of a covert “shadow fleet.”
The vessel - now renamed Marinera, formerly Bella 1 - had reportedly been operating under Russian protection, triggering fears of a direct maritime confrontation between Washington and Moscow. The interception follows the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and marks a decisive shift in how the US is enforcing sanctions - not just economically, but militarily.
As oil routes, naval power, and great-power rivalry collide in the Atlantic, this is no longer just about Venezuela. It is a live test of deterrence, escalation and global order. Pankaj Mishra with the details.
#RussiaOilTanker
#AtlanticStandoff
#USRussiaTensions
#VenezuelaCrisis
#OilGeopolitics
#ShadowFleet
#WorldNews
#SanctionsWar
#GlobalPowerShift
~HT.410~PR.282~ED.194~
The United States has seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, accusing it of violating sanctions by transporting Venezuelan oil as part of a covert “shadow fleet.”
The vessel - now renamed Marinera, formerly Bella 1 - had reportedly been operating under Russian protection, triggering fears of a direct maritime confrontation between Washington and Moscow. The interception follows the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and marks a decisive shift in how the US is enforcing sanctions - not just economically, but militarily.
As oil routes, naval power, and great-power rivalry collide in the Atlantic, this is no longer just about Venezuela. It is a live test of deterrence, escalation and global order. Pankaj Mishra with the details.
#RussiaOilTanker
#AtlanticStandoff
#USRussiaTensions
#VenezuelaCrisis
#OilGeopolitics
#ShadowFleet
#WorldNews
#SanctionsWar
#GlobalPowerShift
~HT.410~PR.282~ED.194~
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to One India. This is World News. Tonight, power, pressure and the redrawing
00:07of global fault lines from Washington's unprecedented move to monetize Venezuela's oil
00:13after the dramatic capture of its longtime strongman Nicolai Maduro to the quiet but
00:19decisive military tools that made it possible and the high-stakes geopolitical squeeze now
00:25being applied on Caracas. Let's begin with Washington.
00:30U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan that sharply escalates Washington's control over
00:39post-Maduro Venezuela. Under the proposal, Venezuela will hand over between 30 to 50
00:45million barrels of oil to be sold directly by the United States. Trump says the proceeds will benefit
00:52both the Venezuelan people and the American interests, framing the move as economic
00:58stabilization after last week's dramatic operation that led to the capture and removal
01:03of President Nicolai Maduro. But Caracas is pushing back. Here's why.
01:09Today's big development. The United States is set to receive up to 50 million barrels of oil from
01:18Venezuela at market price. The announcement came directly from President Donald Trump on his social
01:26media platform. He said that Venezuela's interim authorities will be selling between 30 and 50
01:33million barrels of what he called high-quality oil. Trump also added that he has instructed Energy
01:41Secretary Chris Wright to carry out this plan immediately. According to his post, the oil will be
01:48transported by storage ships and delivered straight to unloading docks in the United States.
01:53Now, here's a key detail. Trump said the money generated from the oil sale would be controlled by him as
02:05president, but would be used to benefit both the people of Venezuela and the United States.
02:18So what's happening behind the scenes?
02:20The White House is reportedly planning a meeting in the Oval Office with major oil company executives,
02:27including Exxon, Chevron, and CanocoPhillips. This suggests the administration is moving quickly
02:34to understand how this Venezuelan oil could be integrated into the U.S. energy market.
02:43Venezuela, remember, sits on around one-fifth of the world's oil reserves.
02:48But analysts warn, rapidly boosting production won't be easy. The country faces aging infrastructure,
02:56economic problems, and political uncertainty. All of those could slow down any increase in exports.
03:07And that political backdrop is important, because separately, tensions remain high inside Venezuela.
03:14Interim President Delcey Rodriguez has pushed back strongly against Trump's claim that the U.S.
03:22is now in charge of Venezuela during the political transition.
03:27Rodriguez said clearly,
03:29The government of Venezuela is in charge, and our country, and no one else.
03:34She has struck a mixed tone recent days, sometimes sounding open to dialogue, other times defiantly rejecting U.S. pressure.
03:45All this comes after U.S. Special Forces captured former leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife in Caracas
03:51in a dramatic operation preceded by airstrikes.
03:55Venezuela's military has now released its first official casualty figures, 23 troops killed, including five generals.
04:05Cuba, a key ally, purported 32 Cuban military deaths, several of them senior officers.
04:11The number of civilian casualties, still unclear.
04:18The Venezuelan attorney general has spoken of dozens of civilian and military dead,
04:23without providing an exact breakdown.
04:35So, what does all this mean?
04:37On one hand, the U.S. could soon be receiving tens of millions of barrels of oil,
04:44potentially easing market pressures.
04:47On the other, Venezuela remains politically fragile, militarily tense, and economically strained.
04:55The key questions now are,
04:58Will this oil deal stabilize the situation?
05:02Or deepen the political divide?
05:04And how quickly, if at all, can Venezuela ramp up production to meet commitments?
05:12We'll keep watching developments,
05:14as the geopolitical and economic stakes continue to rise.
05:21The U.S. operation against Maduro did not rely on strategy alone.
05:26Behind the scenes, a key role was played by one of the most advanced electronic warfare aircraft
05:33in the U.S. arsenal, the EA-18G Growler.
05:38Designed to blind, jam, and dominate enemy communications,
05:43the Growler has become Pentagon's go-to platform in modern hybrid warfare,
05:48where control of the electromagnetic spectrum is just as decisive as boots on the ground.
05:56Here's a closer look.
05:59Imagine a warplane that doesn't fire bombs or shoot missiles,
06:04yet plays one of the most crucial roles in a high-stakes military operation.
06:08Meet the EA-18G Growler,
06:13the U.S. Navy's electronic warfare jet
06:15that helped clear the skies over Venezuela
06:18and made it possible for U.S. forces to capture President Nicolás Maduro.
06:24Unlike typical fighter jets,
06:27the Growler doesn't punch holes in enemy defenses.
06:30It blinds them.
06:32Its mission is all about controlling the invisible battlefield,
06:36the electromagnetic spectrum.
06:38It listens to hostile radar and communication signals.
06:43Then, it replies back with noise and false information.
06:47The result?
06:48Enemy radar goes haywire,
06:50screens fill with fake targets,
06:52or lose track of real aircraft entirely.
06:56This protects friendly jets, helicopters, and drones
06:59by stopping surface-to-air missiles from locking on.
07:02In simple terms, the Growler doesn't fight with bullets.
07:07It fights with signals.
07:08In the early hours of January 3rd, 2026,
07:12the U.S. launched Operation Absolute Resolve,
07:16a massive air and special forces mission targeting Venezuelan air defenses
07:21and leading to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
07:25Here's where the Growler shined.
07:27It jammed and confused Venezuela's radar and communications,
07:30especially older Soviet and Russian-made defense systems,
07:35making them ineffective at tracking incoming U.S. aircraft.
07:39It created a safe corridor in the sky,
07:43letting helicopters and special ops jets come and go with fewer risks.
07:47This electronic blanket helped U.S. forces operate with precision and surprise.
07:54It wasn't alone.
07:55Stealth fighters, bombers, drones, and early warning aircraft supported the mission.
08:00But without the Growler's signal warfare,
08:03the skies would have been far more dangerous.
08:05What makes the Growler special?
08:09The EA-18G Growler is built by Boeing and is based on the familiar F-A-18 Super Hornet.
08:16But don't be fooled.
08:18It's redesigned from the ground up for electronic dominance.
08:22Electronic jamming pods.
08:24These detect enemy radar and send back false information.
08:28Signal deception systems.
08:30They make hostile defense systems see things that aren't there or lose sight of real targets.
08:36Anti-radiation missiles.
08:38Although it's not a bomber,
08:40it can fire weapons that home in on radars to knock them out of action.
08:45Two-person crew.
08:46One pilot and one electronic warfare officer.
08:49Like having an extra brain in the sky focused purely on digital combat.
08:55Why electronic warfare is the future?
08:58Electronic warfare used to be an afterthought.
09:01But recent conflicts from Ukraine to Venezuela
09:04have shown that controlling the invisible battlefield is often the key to victory.
09:10No explosions.
09:11No firepower.
09:12Just silence and control.
09:15That's the Growler's power.
09:19Now with Maduro gone and a new interim government in place,
09:23Washington is now tightening the screws.
09:26President Trump reportedly wants Venezuela's new leadership to sever economic and strategic ties
09:33with China, Russia, Iran and Cuba before being allowed to expand oil production.
09:41The message is blunt.
09:42Partner exclusively with the United States or remain locked out of the global energy markets.
09:48Watch this report.
09:52So, the United States just told Venezuela's new leadership,
09:58kick out China and Russia or we treat you like Maduro.
10:03Yeah, that's the hook.
10:05Let's unpack what's really going on here.
10:07On January 3rd, 2026, the U.S. carried out a military operation that captured former Venezuelan
10:18president, Nicolas Maduro.
10:20And after that operation, the Trump administration laid out a new deal.
10:26Normalize relations.
10:28Open the door to oil.
10:29But first, cut ties with China, Russia, Iran and Cuba.
10:36Which sounds simple, except it really isn't.
10:40Because what the U.S. is asking for isn't just a diplomatic shift.
10:45It's a total geopolitical realignment.
10:48Venezuela would have to expel foreign advisors and joint oil projects and shut out the very
10:56countries keeping its economy alive.
10:59And all of this is being presented to interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who, by the way,
11:06used to be Maduro's vice president.
11:09So, why is the U.S. pushing this so hard?
11:12Think of Venezuela as a massive oil vault.
11:18It has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, nearly 300 billion barrels.
11:25But under Maduro and heavy U.S. sanctions, Venezuela turned to China and Russia for survival,
11:33loans, military support, oil deals, political backing.
11:38And that created something Washington hates.
11:41America's arrivals gaining influence in America's backyard.
11:46So now, with Maduro gone, Washington sees a reset button.
11:51But here's the problem.
11:53Venezuela is deeply, and I mean deeply, financially tied to China.
12:00Since 2007, China has poured in over $60 billion in loans.
12:05Venezuela still owes between $10 and $19 billion.
12:09And most of that debt is repaid in oil.
12:14Right now, around 80% of Venezuela's oil exports go to China.
12:20So if Venezuela kicks China out, the money stops, the oil stops, the repayments stop.
12:27And suddenly, you're looking at defaults, lawsuits, asset seizures, frozen tankers,
12:34maybe even oil refineries abroad getting targeted in court.
12:40Russia is also in the mix, but in a more strategic way.
12:44Oil joint ventures, military advisors, equipment, loans tied to projects.
12:50So, add it all up, Venezuela sits on $150 to $170 billion of external debt,
13:00one of the highest debt loads in the world.
13:03So when the U.S. says, yeah, just cut China and Russia loose,
13:07they're really saying, walk away from the only lifelines keeping your economy from total collapse.
13:16And that brings us to the other side of the story.
13:19China and Russia won't just shrug and walk away.
13:23China could push for repayment,
13:26seize overseas assets,
13:28shift oil buying elsewhere,
13:30or quietly ramp up support for anti-U.S. governments in Latin America.
13:36Russia could pull military support,
13:39apply pressure with debt,
13:41or step up covert operations,
13:44cyber campaigns,
13:45weapons flows,
13:47proxy groups.
13:48Not a full-scale war,
13:50more like strategic annoyance.
13:53So, what does Venezuela do?
13:56Right now,
13:57interim president Dulce Rodriguez is calling the U.S. raid military aggression.
14:03She's a Maduro loyalist.
14:05Her entire political world was built around Chavista ideology,
14:09which is anti-U.S. at its core.
14:12Meanwhile, opposition leaders want democracy,
14:16but they don't control the state.
14:18So, Venezuela is stuck between two massive forces pulling in opposite directions.
14:24The U.S. says align with us and we unlock the oil economy.
14:30China and Russia say stay with us and we keep your system alive.
14:36Either choice is destabilizing.
14:38And now a direct challenge at sea.
14:46Russia has dispatched a naval escort to protect a Venezuelan oil tanker attempting to break the U.S. blockade
14:54amid fears that Washington may seize the vessel.
14:57The tanker, now called Marinera, is part of Venezuela's so-called shadow fleet,
15:04vessels accused of transporting sanctioned oil.
15:07Formerly named Bella One,
15:09it has been hastily rebranded and even painted with a Russian flag,
15:14a clear signal of Moscow's involvement.
15:17This is no longer just economic warfare.
15:20It is a live test of power,
15:23deterrence and escalation between nuclear-armed rivals.
15:27Take a look.
15:27In a dramatic escalation of global sanctions enforcement,
15:45U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proudly announced the seizure of a Russia-flagged oil tanker,
15:52the Marinera in the North Atlantic,
15:54calling it a major victory in Washington's campaign against illicit oil trade.
16:00The tanker, once known as Bella One, had been on the run for more than two weeks after evading a U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil exports
16:10and refusing to let the U.S. Coast Guard board it.
16:13It sailed north across the Atlantic, changed its name to Marinera,
16:18and even adopted a Russian flag, a clear attempt to avoid seizure.
16:24Posting the capture on social media,
16:26Hegseth, now styled as Secretary of War under the Trump administration,
16:31declared that the blockade of sanctioned oil tankers is in full effect anywhere in the world.
16:37He portrayed the operation as part of a larger effort to cut off revenue flowing to sanctioned networks
16:44and destabilize illicit oil routes.
16:47This wasn't just another oil seizure.
16:50It was the U.S. boarding and taking control of a Russian-flagged civilian ship
16:55marked by a federal court warrant for sanctions violations
16:59and a coordinated operation by the U.S. Coast Guard and military forces in international waters.
17:06Russia condemned the action as piracy and formally protested,
17:11arguing that the ship was legally registered under its flag.
17:16Moscow even dispatched naval assets, including a submarine, to the region as tensions simmered.
17:23The Marinera operation highlights an assertive U.S. stance on enforcing sanctions
17:28tied to Venezuela and shadow fleet oil networks,
17:32a willingness to seize foreign-flagged vessels in international waters,
17:37causing real friction with Russia amid geopolitical battles over energy and influence.
17:44Secretary of War Hegseth's celebratory tone and the high-profile seizure of a Russia-flagged civilian vessel
17:51underline how far the U.S. is willing to go to clamp down on sanctioned oil trafficking
17:57and how those actions could redraw lines in global power struggles at sea.
18:04So, Venezuela has become the latest arena where oil, force, and geopolitics collide.
18:10The question now is not whether global powers will intervene,
18:14but how far they are willing to go to enforce their version of order.
18:19That's world news for you.
18:21Thanks for watching.
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