Trump is giving teeth to US sanctions by seizing – Latest News
Kudos to President Donald Trump for clamping down on the “ghost fleet” tankers that flagrantly dodge sanctions on rogue nations like Venezuela and Iran.
On Wednesday, the US army and Coast Guard took control of two tankers that had tried to run the blockade of Venezuela — together with one ship, Bella 1, that attempted to evade seize by altering its identify to the “Marinera” in mid-chase, re-registering as a Russian ship and portray a Russian flag on its hull.
A gambit Moscow was speeding in forces to back up, as Vladimir Putin again confirmed his true colours.
The Biden crew sanctioned Bella 1 in 2024 for carrying black-market Iranian oil; Trump is merely imposing the law right here — taking motion to help the liberal worldwide order.
Dovish pols the world round love to impose sanctions as an various to army power towards rogue regimes; they appear oh-so-civilized.
But they’re meaningless with out enforcement, which nonetheless requires power.
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It’s just like the liberal “solution” of ever-stricter gun regulation — rendered ineffective in the event that they gained’t lock up people caught breaking the law.
Trump is exhibiting the world what actual sanctions entail, ones that aren’t empty finger-wagging.
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But he ought to word Moscow’s conduct: Putin didn’t simply let Bella 1 slip into a Russian disguise; he reportedly dispatched a submarine and different naval belongings to chaperone the ship back to Russian waters.
And after the ship’s seize, the Kremlin demanded that Russian nationals onboard “be returned to the Motherland.”
The White House’s response was more-or-less “fat chance,” with Press Secretary Karoline Levitt confirming that “the crew will be subject to prosecution.”
Let’s hope this turns into a new Team Trump behavior of treating Putin because the snake he is.
