U.S. Warns Rivals to Keep Off Its Turf

“WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration's seizure of tankers under a growing oil embargo is meant to warn adversaries attempting to gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere and boost Washington's influence in Latin America, according to U.S. officials.

 

The seizure Wednesday of two oil tankers linked to Venezuela, bringing the total to four in recent weeks, gives the U.S. leverage over Venezuela's interim government, said administration officials. It is also meant to signal to Russia, China and Iran that they shouldn't ally themselves with Caracas or flout U.S. sanctions, escalating the Trump administration's "Donroe Doctrine," aimed at making America the region's dominant power.

 

By stopping certain ships from delivering Venezuelan oil, President Trump aims to starve its customers of needed resources and revenue, weakening them as they rethink their relations with Caracas. The U.S. has delivered the message to Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, that her government must side with Washington and wind down relations with Russia, China and Iran, officials said.

 

Some U.S. officials and analysts are skeptical that seizing a handful of ships will cause Moscow, Beijing or Tehran to alter their Latin American policies or significantly dent their coffers. One State Department official said the damage to those capitals was a side effect of targeting the tankers, as the real goal remains coercing Caracas to do Washington's bidding, namely allowing U.S. companies to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure and profit from its vast oil reserves.

 

For Iran, Russia and China, "losing a partner in the Western Hemisphere is a blow, but not a grievous one," said Gregory Brew, a senior analyst at the Eurasia Group, an advisory firm. "The bigger threat is if the U.S. expands its tactic of an oil blockade -- or more tanker seizures targeting sanctioned tankers -- beyond just Venezuela."

 

Retired Adm. James Stavridis, a former supreme allied commander Europe, said targeting the shadow fleet -- off-the-books ships that transfer sanctioned oil -- was a sensible geopolitical move that addresses three different problems. "They will certainly weaken the economies of Russia and Iran, but they will also provide real leverage to consolidate control over Venezuela," he said, and could potentially force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table with Kyiv.

 

If Caracas's interim authorities don't listen to Washington, the Trump administration said it plans to maintain its pressure on Venezuela. "They understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States," Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

 

Rubio's remarks came after a closed-door briefing with senators about the administration's Venezuela strategy, which Republicans appear to be backing.

 

Democrats expressed outrage over what they called an ill-conceived blueprint to rule Venezuela from afar, while forcibly taking its oil. "The scope and insanity of that plan is absolutely stunning," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

 

Some military experts aren't convinced that seizing the shadow-fleet ships, particularly by using elite special forces, could be sustained long term.

 

"Is it effective? Sure, it works. Is that the most efficient way to do it? I don't think so," said retired Vice Adm. John Miller, the former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

 

He warned there could be ramifications to continuing to poke Russia, which deployed at least one warship to escort the tanker that the U.S. seized in the northern Atlantic on Wednesday. "I'm not sure that that's necessarily something that we want to continue to do in the future," he said, because it essentially dares Putin "to think bigger."

 

The U.S. doesn't have plans to expand its operations against shadow fleets beyond the current Venezuela campaign, U.S. officials said.

 

A U.S. special-operations force boarded a ship called the Marinera, a tanker formerly known as the Bella 1, on Wednesday. The Coast Guard pursed the vessel for two weeks, U.S. officials said. During that time, the ship -- which wasn't carrying oil -- changed its name and claimed Russian protection.

 

Russia demanded that the U.S. "ensure humane and dignified treatment of Russian citizens aboard the Marinera," Russia's state news agency TASS reported.

 

U.S. forces on Wednesday also seized the Chinese-registered Sophia near the Caribbean, according to U.S. authorities. In a social-media post, U.S. Southern Command said the vessel was operating in international waters and conducting illicit activities, and that the U.S. Coast Guard was escorting the ship to the U.S.” [1]

 

Keeping Venezuela starved of oil money could bring it to shooting war with U.S.A. This would benefit China significantly, distracting and weakening America in a crucial moment of competition.

 

 

1. World News: U.S. Warns Rivals to Keep Off Its Turf. Ward, Alexander; Seligman, Lara.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 09 Jan 2026: A9.