US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington does not consider Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a legitimate leader, arguing that his government poses a “direct threat” to US “national interests and regional stability.” Speaking to reporters, Rubio described the Maduro administration as an “illegitimate regime”, claiming that it cooperates with Iran, Hezbollah …
Continue reading “Rubio: US doesn’t consider Maduro legitimate”
United States President Donald Trump did not rule out that his country will go to war with Venezuela in a phone interview with NBC News on Thursday, stating that while he is not discussing it currently, it is a possibility. Trump also declined to confirm whether ousting his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, is his goal, …
Continue reading “Trump: there will be additional seizures of Venezuela oil tankers”
The United States Department of State announced on Thursday that it is adding 29 “shadow fleet vessels” to its sanctions list, over their alleged engagement in the “covert delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products.” As per a statement, among the sanctioned entities are companies and vessels operated …
Continue reading “US sanctions 29 shadow fleet vessels tied to Iran”
Trump’s announcement of a blockade on sanctioned Venezuelan tankers pushed WTI crude up more than 2.4%, reflecting heightened geopolitical risk premiums. The move could ultimately disrupt a sizable share of Venezuela’s exports, cutting into global supply. Despite the escalation, broader bearish forces, including weak Chinese demand and optimism surrounding Ukraine peace talks, are likely to …
Crude oil prices extended their losses on Tuesday, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropping by more than 2.7% to its lowest level since April, and briefly falling below the $55 mark. Traders digested the latest comments by United States President Donald Trump, who said that peace in Ukraine is “closer now” than ever before. His comments were echoed by …
United States President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, amid diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict. The US president did not share further details about his conversation with Putin, but reiterated that the latter leader also wants the war to end. At the same time, Trump remained …
Continue reading “Trump confirms he spoke to Putin…… Kremlin denies Trump had phone call with Putin”
The European Union on Monday slapped sanctions on nine entities and individuals for supporting Russia’s shadow fleet moving oil, as the bloc seeks to further restrict Moscow’s ability to generate revenues from energy exports. The Council of the EU sanctioned five individuals and four entities responsible for supporting Russia’s shadow fleet and its value chain. …
Continue reading “EU Targets Russia’s Oil Shadow Fleet With New Sanctions”
Another foreign tanker was seized by Iran in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian state media IRIB reported Friday. The vessel was allegedly carrying 6 million liters of “smuggled diesel.” While no details on the origin of the vessel and its cargo have been disclosed so far, the move follows the United States’ interception of an oil …
Continue reading “Iran seizes foreign tanker in Gulf of Oman”
Seizure aims to target shadow tanker fleet selling oil to China, other nations Venezuelan government calls US actions ‘piracy’; experts argue legality under international law Shipments totalling nearly 6 million barrels of crude suspended after seizure, source says The United States plans to seize more tankers carrying Venezuelan crude, Reuters reported today, citing unnamed sources who …
Continue reading “The U.S. Is Preparing to Seize More Tankers Carrying Venezuelan Crude”
United States President Donald Trump reaffirmed that the US “would help with security” if Russia and Ukraine reach a peace agreement, saying he considers it a “necessary factor in getting it done.” “I thought we were close with Russia to having a deal, I thought we were close with Ukraine to having a deal. In …