JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Around two weeks ago, U.S. ships tried to stop an oil tanker in the Caribbean. But the tanker refused to cooperate, changing course and heading out into the Atlantic. U.S. forces finally seized the ship today as it was sailing with a Russian flag in the North Atlantic between Britain and Iceland. This is a very strange tale with many twists and turns, and NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre is here in the studio to help unravel some of them. Hello.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: All right, Greg, let's just cut to the chase. Tell us how this started.
MYRE: Yeah, so we know the U.S. started seizing these sanctioned oil tankers a month ago, part of the ghost fleet of these shady private operators worldwide who transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela, Russia, Iran. So two ships were seized in the Caribbean. Then the U.S. forces tried to stop and seize another one in late December called the Bella 1. It was believed to be heading to Venezuela to pick up oil.
But the Bella 1 refused to stop. It changed course and headed out to the Atlantic and then toward northern Europe. And the U.S. forces were pursuing it. Now, along the way, the Bella 1 changed its name. The crew painted a new name on the hull of the ship, the Marinera. It also changed flags from the flag of Guyana to the flag of Russia, all while the U.S. forces are chasing it.
SUMMERS: Interesting. OK, so how did this culminate today?
MYRE: Well, this nautical makeover did not deter the U.S. forces. According to a U.S. official, the troops boarded the ship in the North Atlantic, north of Britain and south of Iceland, several thousand miles from where this all began. Now, the U.S. officials say the ship and the crew are now being brought to the U.S. Many critics are saying the Trump administration is carrying out these dramatic actions but doesn't really have a strategy for dealing with Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded today.
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MARCO RUBIO: We don't want it descending into chaos. Part of that stabilization, and the reason why we understand and believe that we have the strongest leverage possible, is our quarantine.
MYRE: So the U.S. is now controlling the flow of Venezuela's oil. And it expects to get up to 50 million barrels from the country.
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RUBIO: We're going to sell it in the marketplace at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is dispersed, in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people.
MYRE: So President Trump has also talked about this, and the details are still emerging.
SUMMERS: What have we heard, if anything, from the Russians?
MYRE: Well, the Russian transportation ministry said it gave the ship temporary permission to fly the Russian flag on December 24. It added that, quote, "freedom of navigation rules operate in the open sea, and no government has the right to use force against ships." So clear Russian opposition but in a formal, measured way. Russia isn't making any threats or talking about retaliation.
SUMMERS: Here's a question I have. Why would Russia allow this tanker to fly its flag?
MYRE: Yeah, Russia hasn't given a clear answer. It is possible Russia thought this might deter the U.S. from seizing the ship. Russia is an ally of Venezuela but didn't really do much to prevent this U.S. campaign. So perhaps it thought allowing a tanker to fly its flag was a low-cost way of assisting Venezuela.
SUMMERS: Stepping back a second, how does this U.S. move fit with its larger operation against Venezuela?
MYRE: So with former President Nicolás Maduro now in U.S. custody, the campaign is increasingly focused on Venezuela's oil. The U.S. actually seized a second oil tanker today, the Sophia, in the Caribbean. The U.S. says this is also a sanctioned tanker. President Trump is expected to talk with U.S. oil companies on Friday. He wants them to go into Venezuela as soon as possible.
SUMMERS: NPR's Greg Myre, thank you.
MYRE: Sure thing, Juana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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