The United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker named Bela-1 in the North Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. According to US authorities, the vessel was detained for violating sanctions by transporting oil from Venezuela. The US defense secretary stated that sanctions and the embargo on illegal Venezuelan oil would be enforced globally. Reports indicated that US forces attempted to board the tanker by helicopter after it ignored orders from the US Coast Guard.

Russia condemned the seizure, calling it a breach of international maritime law. The Russian transport ministry cited the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation in international waters and prohibits the use of force against vessels registered in another country. Moscow argued that Washington had no legal authority to detain the ship.

The incident has heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington. A US press secretary declined to comment on whether the move would anger Russia but said the tanker violated sanctions and that its crew would face trial in the United States for leaving Venezuelan waters unlawfully.