this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2025
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US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, in a major escalation of Donald Trump’s four-month pressure campaign against the South American country’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

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[–] drmoose@lemmy.world -2 points 5 days ago (4 children)

I hate trump as anyone else here but reading into this it looks like an absolutely legal and normal procedure?

The ship in question named Skipper was already sanctioned since 2022 for transporting Iranian oil to fund Hezbolah. So minus conflict escalation with Venezuela this seems like a good thing? Hezbolah is an incredibly evil terrorist organization and cutting off it's funding is good.

[–] radiofreebc@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Sanctioned by the US. This means the ship is free to trade with other countries. It wasn't heading to the US. This is an illegal act.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's not how these types sanctions work though. It's much more broad than "you can't pass our waters" and it's perfectly legal to board sanctioned ships in international waters.

AFAIK this is legal though I care much more about ethics than legalities as citizen of neither of these countries.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Unless it’s by the state it was registered in, it is not legal to do so, except in cases of piracy, slave transport, or when the ship is stateless.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I'm not typically a betting man, but I would be willing to go all in on that not being the reason they seized the ship.

This administration tends to do what comes natural to them first (do illegal shit) and then search for an excuse later for why it was necessary when confronted about it.

I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually came to the same conclusion that you did, but only after Trump or one of his stooges brags about doing it for other reasons.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world -1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I feel like people are taking the bait here in siding with Iran and Hezbolah just to spite Trump. Both things can be bad and it's kinda important to be woke to these games rather than blindly oppose everything.

People keep underestimating Trump and his stooges. Sure they are stupid but they do have a plan and they do scheme.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago
[–] titanicx@lemmy.zip 5 points 5 days ago

Sure seems like you read a lot of Israeli propaganda there.

[–] desertdruid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 5 days ago (2 children)

How it is legal to seize a ship from another country when it isn't even close to your coast? Are you so brainwashed you can call this normal?

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Usually it wouldn’t be, but there are exceptions for piracy and slaving. There is also an exception for vessels without nationality. Skipper had been fraudulently flying the flag of Guyana, who confirmed no such ship exists on their register. The US could argue it was therefore stateless.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I'm not a lawyer but afaik the sanctioned ships are treated kinda like "legal piracy" as country can board it even in international waters if it knows it's performing a sanctioned operation like transferring goods to a place it's not allowed to or the ship is stateless or sneaky (no transponder etc).

At the end of the day these legalities are purely made up to satisfy treaties rather than ethics or rationality so it's silly to try to look for rational meaning here.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

The law holds that states cannot commit piracy. That is solely a crime for private entities.

Ships can only fall under the jurisdiction of the country of registration, the country in whose coastal waters the ship is in, or - in exceptional circumstances of piracy, slavery or statelessness of the ship - anyone.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

No that's simply not true