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U.S. Seizes Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker Linked to Venezuela; Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's Acting Leader, Faces Difficult Balancing Act; U.S. Lawmakers Receive Classified Briefings on Venezuela; Wall Street Looks Past Geopolitical Tensions. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired January 07, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All right. Welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD.
Classified briefings in Congress set to begin this hour on the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. That's as major events unfold at sea, the
U.S. military seizing a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic.
The Bella 1 was under American sanctions for operating within a so-called shadow fleet of ships transporting illicit oil. It's been pursued for some
time by the U.S. Coast Guard, its crew apparently claiming the vessel was under Russian protection.
The U.S. Southern Command announcing minutes ago it seized a second ship, what it calls a stateless vessel in the Caribbean, allegedly conducting
illicit activities.
CNN is covering this from all angles. Joining us now, we've got Stefano Pozzebon live from Bogota, Colombia; national security analyst David Sanger
in Washington and we've also got CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson.
Of these breaking news stories, Nic, I want to start off with you. You've got two vessels that have been seized. One oil tanker in the North
Atlantic, the Bella 1; we know it. We've covered it.
The second vessel in the Caribbean. And clearly, the U.S. is making good on its promise to crack down on anything going in and out of Venezuela. So
take me give me a sense of why this has escalated to this point to begin with.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, it appears in terms of the vessel that was interdicted in the extreme North Atlantic, in Icelandic
waters, formerly named the Bella 1, changed its name and flagging to Russian flagging, to the name of Marinera en route. That had been tracked
for some time.
So the question, why now?
Because it was getting ever closer, potentially, to Russian waters and it has been tracked for a couple of weeks since it evaded U.S. Coast Guard
interdiction off the coast of Venezuela.
It's an oil tanker. It's empty. It has been escorted by some Russian vessels over the past couple of days. It has been tracked all the way
across the Atlantic. There's been U.S. Air Force reconnaissance, P-8 reconnaissance aircraft, flying out of bases in the U.K. to monitor this
particular ship.
And, about 3.5 hours ago, instead of heading north when it was about 180 miles, 300 kilometers south of Iceland, it did an abrupt turn. And that
seems to indicate the moment where U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. military interdicted it.
Now the other interdiction you're talking about took place overnight while it was dark, a potentially more precarious and riskier operation, but not,
it appears, a vessel that had any other kind of potential military support around it.
A smaller vessel, by all appearances, and interdicted, again, because it's part of a shadow tanker fleet. This is what U.S. southern military command
are saying.
So is it just coincidence that these are -- these are both happened today?
Quite possibly, because the tracking of the Bella 1, the reflagged -- Russian-reflagged Marinera, has been going on for some time and it was
potentially going to evade capture if it had been able to go further. Not quite clear what precipitated the interdiction overnight last night of this
other vessel, the MT Sophia in the Caribbean.
GIOKOS: Yes. One thing is certain, it certainly seems that the U.S. is keeping a close watch on what is leaving and going into Venezuela.
Stefano, maybe you could walk us through how this oil tanker fits into the bigger picture of Trump's actions in Venezuela and the latest, I think,
really important from Caracas, the mood on the ground as well as where you are in Bogota.
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, very quickly, the bigger picture is that essentially Donald Trump has operated a blockade against
Venezuelan oil exports, leaving Venezuela for other destinations other than the United States for the last several weeks and months.
Venezuela, of course, the oil industry has been under an embargo for several years now.
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Venezuela used to sell a share of its oil to Chevron, which is a U.S. major corporation that has an exemption order in order to operate in Venezuela.
But most of it was going to the likes of China, Russia, India and Iran, using these tankers that are part of a so-called shadow fleet, just like
Nic was talking about.
And so the message from the White House seems to be that, from now on, the United States will be the only purchaser of oil coming out of Venezuela,
that all the oil will need to go to the likes of Chevron. Other companies involved seem to be Exxon or the ConocoPhillips.
Other major U.S. corporations that are involved into this play by the White House to seize and to stamp again the certains (ph) that the oil from
Venezuela would go to the refineries in the Gulf Coast of the United States that have been built to process that oil in the 20th century.
What is happening in the meantime in Caracas is people going back to normality. Of course, the country is still reeling and shaking from the
aftermath of that dramatic attack from the United States that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
But the new woman in charge, Delcy Rodriguez, who used to be Maduro's deputy but is now seemed to have received a show of confidence from the
White House, at least for the time being, is quickly moving to put people close to her in key government positions as she tries to shape the
Venezuelan government after herself.
For example, she replaced the head of the presidential guard with a general trusted and essentially her new head of security. And she also replaced and
named a new vice president for economics.
So moving very quickly, showing that she has no appetite for losing time in making Venezuela respond to her will, as she knows she will have to
cooperate with the White House and with Donald Trump if she intends to stay in the driving chair (sic) for longer than the upcoming days and weeks.
GIOKOS: All right.
So David, good to see you. The U.S. Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, just said that the U.S. was going to control the cash gained from the sale of
Venezuela's oil indefinitely.
You know -- and there's one -- it's one thing to seize sanctioned oil, you know, and it's another thing to say we're going to be the sole purchaser or
we're going to be controlling the money.
How are you characterizing this?
Because I think if we take a step back, you could say, look, this is a resource grab.
Is it?
Is it the United States stepping in and taking what's rightfully theirs?
Describe and define this for me.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, it's a bit of a virtual or remote control form of occupation, which is to say that
the U.S. is not on the ground. We don't have troops that have remained there.
They are just offshore with the threat that they could come in at any moment if this new government does not do their bidding.
And so there are a couple of parts of this that may be unsustainable but we don't know because we've never really seen an occupation effort quite like
this.
The first part is, if you say that Maduro was an illegitimate president, he lost the 2024 election, it's not clear what makes the current government
there, which is basically the same government he had assembled, any more legitimate.
And then the second question is, how will Venezuelans react when they see that the United States is in total control of the revenue that comes out of
their oil industry?
And for a while, if some of that circulates back into Venezuela, it may keep the peace. But you have to think that you're sowing the seeds there of
long-term resentment.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, your sense on the U.S. clearly wanting a pro-American government, regime to be in place in Venezuela, that would be vital, as
president Trump has said, look, he's going to give incentives to oil companies to invest in Venezuela. They'll only do that if it's a safe place
to put their money and park their money
SANGER: And if -- and if they think that, over the long term, those rules will stay in place. But if they fear that, over time, this government,
because it doesn't have any electoral legitimacy, is going to collapse, then they have to think what happens to their investment in the post-Trump
era.
GIOKOS: OK. Stefano, I want you to come in here. And look, the Trump administration has sidelined Machado.
What is the sense of that in Venezuela today?
What's the response been?
POZZEBON: Well, I think that a lot of people, especially on the opposition, will be disappointed to see that. Maria Corina Machado is an
icon of the democratic struggle of the Venezuelan people.
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And especially she is the one that put Nicolas Maduro against the wall by winning that election in July 2024, an election that Maduro did not
concede, despite overwhelming evidence that the opposition had won almost a 2:1 with that ratio.
Maduro did not concede the stating (ph) to power and that is why, 15 months later, we are saying now that Nicolas Maduro used to be an illegitimate
president.
And David correctly pointed out, well, what about his vice president?
Because she has no more legitimacy than Maduro used to have.
A lot of people in Caracas will be disappointed about that but that is a point that has been in the air for quite some time.
I remember following very closely that dramatic economic press conference in Mar-a-Lago in the immediate aftermath of the operation on Saturday
morning, with Donald Trump taking the stage and explaining for several minutes, almost an hour, how that operation unfolded.
He mentioned the word oil, I think, for more than 20 times and not once he uttered the word democracy or freedom for the Venezuelan people. I don't
think that the appetite from the White House is actually to have a pro- American administration in Caracas. They just want to have somebody that they can feel they can do business with.
And right now, that person appears to be Delcy Rodriguez, because she can guarantee the stability of Venezuela, given the allegiance that she has
received from the armed forces and from the other apparatus of the state.
Compared to Machado, who is -- frankly, we don't know where she is because we know she's out of the country. She was in Oslo earlier in December to
receive the Nobel Peace Prize. We understand that now she's trying to dedicate once again the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria -- to Donald Trump.
But there is a little bit of a side from the -- from the Venezuelan opposition. One person that is coming to the rescue of the Venezuelan
opposition is Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister.
He said that he will speak with both Machado's champion, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, and with Delcy Rodriguez, trying to advocate once again for
democracy. Here is what Pedro Sanchez said, for example, earlier today.
GIOKOS: All right. We don't have that sound bite, Stefano.
But I want to -- I want to move on to something that's really important, Nic. And I want you to give me a sense of -- you know, I want big picture
here because we spoke to Fawaz Gerges a short time ago.
And he was saying that the rules-based order that was created after World War II is being dismantled as we speak. And importantly, this play on
Greenland and, you know, perhaps even thinking about a military confrontation, if need be, that is a risk to NATO. That is a risk to the
U.S.' allies.
Describe what this -- the scenario planning that the U.S. is thinking about as it confronts the notion of wanting Greenland.
ROBERTSON: NATO and the cohesiveness of NATO and the rules-based world order post World War II and the United Nations role in that as well, what
we're seeing is these incredibly important and influential instruments of global stability, disliked in some arenas, liked more in others.
But they have become real parts of why the -- why the globe has experienced peace and prosperity over a number of decades. They're part of the reason,
if you want, really big picture of why economies can make the leaps and bounds in technology and health care and all these avenues that benefit our
existence.
But when you start to deconstruct and put NATO under tension -- and this is what Matteo Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, pointed out, you know,
of president Trump's claims over Greenland and the language that's being used about it, potentially military intervention, that could damage NATO.
I don't think we're looking -- NATO and the U.N., these are not brittle institutions. They don't suddenly snap overnight. But they are corroded,
whereas Gerges talked about a deconstruction.
But I think what we're witnessing is that corrosion of them and therefore their ability to act with speed, to act with cohesion. You break down
trust, they are unable to act as a unity. They look weak.
And that enables the other powers in the world, Russia, China, to take decisions that they wanted to take, that this current world order is
essentially held in abeyance. So the world becomes, very big picture, less stable.
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And, you know, it's easy to have that perception, that early this year, so much has happened. It's been so much change. Maduro in Venezuela, you know,
the -- these ships interdicted on the high seas, the sense that Greenland could be snatched by the United States at any moment.
Yes, it is all very precarious. But so much of this is on the decision of president Trump. You can be in a week's time or two weeks' time, reset by
his language, his direction, to calmer waters. I'm not sure people will -- global markets are going to bet on that.
But for the moment, they haven't gone into a frenzy. When they do and the security structures break down, then you're going to have to worry.
GIOKOS: Yes. And one barometer is always watch the gold price, because that is a sign of risk aversion.
So David, I want you to give me an idea of what you think about this Greenland story, I mean -- and it became a hot topic last year when
president Trump was talking about it. Now we're talking about an even bigger way and it really feels different this time.
After specifically what we saw happening in Venezuela and all the other threats coming through for other countries and if you've got the president
of the United States targeting an ally and a NATO member, it just hits differently.
SANGER: It certainly does. And you'll remember it was a year ago this week, actually, that I asked president Trump at a press conference at Mar-
a-Lago -- he had not yet been inaugurated -- whether he was willing to use military force to seize Greenland.
Or at that time, we were thinking about the Panama Canal zone and so forth. And he interrupted the question to say, well, I would certainly never
dismiss that. That's what's come back with a vengeance.
But as you point out, it's the Venezuela operation that has given it credence. You've got to take this possibility seriously.
The really interesting question, I think, is why he is saying this now?
Because he has options with Greenland under the treaty that the United States signed in 1951. He could just reclaim any of the 16 or 17 U.S. bases
that we had in Greenland and rebuild them and put American forces there.
And he can do that, you know, perfectly legally. So for some reason, he seems to think that the ownership of Greenland is critical.
And the interesting question is why he believes that and whether he believes it. So that he's willing to take the kind of risk that you heard
Nic discussing, with NATO, because NATO was never conceived under the thought that one NATO member might try to seize control of the territory of
another.
GIOKOS: Yes.
Yes. It's true. It wasn't even in a mental repertoire, I think, of NATO members at the time. David, China saying that Trump's Venezuelan oil plan
amounts to bullying. I want you to talk to me about the bigger picture, geopolitics here, with those great powers that Nic was mentioning.
Because it feels like new spheres of influence are emerging. And we've been talking about it for a couple of years. But, again, it feels different
coming into 2026.
SANGER: It does feel different and it feels different because the national security strategy basically laid out, which came out in November, basically
laid out a world in which the United States would focus on the Western Hemisphere.
And that raised the question, are we leaving Asia to China and Europe, either to the European Union or to Russia, or for the two of them to
struggle over that?
And the president has never -- he has said what rules apply to the U.S. in the Western Hemisphere. But he's never said whether or not that means he
thinks the same rules apply for the Chinese and Asia.
And that's why, in the short term, I think the Chinese must be a little bit shaken by the speed at which Maduro was taken by U.S. special operators.
But in the long term, they must think that this is going to occupy the U.S. in the Western Hemisphere, not in the Asia Pacific, and that the same
rationale that the president gave, they could use for Taiwan; and similarly for Putin in Ukraine and beyond.
GIOKOS: Certainly, everyone's watching very closely and emboldening, I think, leaders that perhaps wanted to take certain actions.
So it was such a great conversation. David, Nic Robertson, as well as Stefano Pozzebon, great to have you on the show. Much appreciated for your
insights.
Now Maduro's deputy fills the void in Venezuela.
But with the U.S., at least for now, calling the shots, what comes next?
A deep dive on the situation inside Venezuela.
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That's coming up right ahead. Stay with CNN.
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GIOKOS: Venezuela's acting president says there is, quote, "no external agent that governs Venezuela."
Delcy Rodriguez made that statement after being sworn in to take for -- take over for deposed president Nicolas Maduro. But as CNN's Paula Newton
tells us, Rodriguez now must walk a tightrope of leading her nation without angering Washington.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For weeks now, in her carefully curated social media accounts, Delcy Rodriguez has strived to
project a commanding hold on the economy, specifically the energy industry.
Stressing that the situation was improving and that she was fulfilling vital commercial commitments even to the U.S.
That crafted persona is serving her well. She was sworn in as Venezuela's acting president on Monday, seen by many as a steady hand who could help
avoid a transitional crisis.
She is also a familiar, genial and long-standing presence for Venezuelans, many of whom simply refer to her as Delcy.
Images like these belie the repression that is still a feature of everyday life here. That includes a decree that allows the regime to hunt down and
capture anyone who promotes or supports the U.S. attack on the country.
In an interview with Fox News, on Monday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado warned that Rodriguez will remain loyal to the regime.
MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: She's the main ally and liaison with Russia, China, Iran, certainly not an individual that
could be, you know, trusted by international investors.
NEWTON (voice-over): In fact, Rodriguez was embraced by ambassadors from Russia, China and Iran just moments after she was sworn in.
Todd Robinson, the former acting U.S. ambassador to Venezuela during President Trump's first term, tells CNN Rodriguez is smart but combative
and cunning.
TOM ROBINSON, FORMER ACTING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA: My guess is she has worked some kind of deal where she will either be able to stay for a
while as they work through a transition or perhaps leave after the transition is over. She was part of the ruling elite, the coterie, that was
benefiting from all of the illegal activity going on at the highest levels of the Maduro regime.
NEWTON (voice-over): U.S. president Trump has warned that if Rodriguez doesn't do what's right, he told "The Atlantic" she is going to pay a very
big price.
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The scope of what's right, though, in Venezuela has so far been focused on the economy and a calm transition, not the democratic rights of its
citizens -- Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: I'm joined now by Benjamin Gedan. He is the director of the Latin America program at the Stimson Center and South America director on the
National Security Council under the Obama administration.
Great to have you with us. And a lot of news out today. We'll discuss Delcy Rodriguez in just a moment but I want to talk about these two vessels that
were seized, the one, the Bella 1 in the North Atlantic, which is a crude vessel, an oil tanker, and the other one in the Caribbean.
What is going on?
What are you reading into these moves by the United States?
BENJAMIN GEDAN, DIRECTOR, LATIN AMERICA PROGRAM, STIMSON CENTER: Yes, I think the United States is on the most solid legal ground in its attempts
to go after sanctioned vessels. Right. This is something the U.S. could have been doing at any moment.
And here it gives greater credibility both right now in the context of Venezuela policy but even more broadly about what sanctions might mean and
how they're best implemented.
On the other hand, the most significant factor here is this stranglehold on the Venezuelan economy, which is almost entirely based on oil revenue. This
is an attempt to control Venezuela policymaking from afar.
GIOKOS: Yes, really good point. And let's talk about that oil revenue, because president Trump says that 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil
are going to end up in the United States, that the U.S. is going to control those revenues. Let's talk about the legalities of this.
And, you know, when the U.S. says we're controlling Venezuela by controlling oil revenues, de facto they're controlling the bread and butter
of that regime.
GEDAN: Yes. I mean, so from a tactical standpoint, this makes total sense. The Venezuelan economy is completely dependent upon oil. And this
stranglehold on government revenues gives extraordinary leverage to the United States.
The presence offshore of U.S. warships is also reassuring to U.S. policymakers, who want to make sure that the regime that still controls
Venezuela does as it's told. The legal argument is much weaker. It's really unclear what claim whatsoever the United States has on the natural
resources of Venezuela.
There have been legal cases in the past from U.S. private sector firms that were subject to nationalizations and lost some of the assets they
controlled in Venezuela. But it is absolutely unclear why the United States should be able to seize oil and use the revenues as it pleases.
GIOKOS: Let's talk about Delcy Rodriguez, because, you know, the question becomes, is she the right person to be in place?
She was in the Maduro regime. Machado has been sidelined by Trump himself.
And the big question becomes, is the United States working with Rodriguez, specifically on this oil deal that Trump has basically unilaterally done?
GEDAN: In some ways, the status quo is quite surprising. In the run-up to this U.S. invasion of Venezuela, most of the advocates in Washington and
elsewhere were presenting a future of a democratic country.
The idea that the Venezuelan opposition had the legitimacy of a recent election, that it had the strong leadership, not only of the electoral
victor Edmundo Gonzalez, a retired diplomat, but also the Nobel Laureate, Maria Corina Machado, who enjoys widespread support globally and in the
United States.
Instead, what we've had is a decision for continuity. The same regime and all of its repressive forces remain in place. And the person now who's the
maybe figurehead president of Venezuela is this odious figure, who is involved in a decade of repression of the Venezuelan democratic opposition.
So it really is a startling turn of events from the perspective of those who had hoped the U.S. intervention would bring about a genuine political
transition. On the other hand, it's perfectly consistent with president Trump's world view.
He's been exceptionally clear both with regards to Venezuela and broader U.S. foreign policy, that human rights and democracy are not priorities.
And in fact, he's been clear in his national security strategy that he would, quote, "respect the diversity of government regime types throughout
the world."
And earlier on a trip to Saudi Arabia, early in his term, he said that he would no longer give lectures on how to live. This notion that the United
States is basically indifferent right now about what kinds of governments exist in the world.
GIOKOS: Yes. I want to talk about the Donroe Doctrine and how that emboldens other global leaders that are eyeing out whether, you know,
regime change in certain countries.
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Resource grabs and so forth and how that plays into what we're seeing and, frankly, the spheres of influence that could be changing.
GEDAN: It's a pretty extraordinary world view and one that now we're seeing implemented in South America.
And it's very hard to believe that other countries won't seek the same rules of the game, right?
The idea of a rules-based international system can seem theoretical and something that really only exists in the corridors of the United Nations in
New York.
But the idea of it is pretty basic, that the world is unstable when any country can use military force arbitrarily against any smaller country to
pursue whatever national interests they might pursue.
And that is the world that the United States is now creating with this action in South America. Now they're not being overly explicit about it.
They've justified the invasion as a law enforcement operation against an individual who was indicted and is now being tried in federal court in New
York.
But the overarching theory of the Monroe Doctrine suggests that any country that's stronger than another can get its way anytime, anywhere.
GIOKOS: Yes. So super important point. You know, we've also seen president Trump, you know, veiled threats against the likes of Cuba and Colombia. I
mean, we're seeing what's happening in Greenland as well.
It feels very different from a geostrategic perspective. And I think what we're seeing right now in the United States. a big question about what
happens next in Venezuela and whether the same template, whether you're anticipating to see playing out in other countries the president has
threatened.
GEDAN: Yes, I think for Donald Trump, Latin America is a shooting gallery at this point and there really are no constraints on his conduct. He still
seems reluctant to bring U.S. forces into the region, to occupy countries in the region with a risk to U.S. treasure and the lives of U.S. service
members.
But he seems utterly unconstrained when it comes to the use of Special Forces drones, fighter jets and warships in order to get his way, whether
that's to attack drug cartels and alleged smugglers, as he has been doing.
And murdering civilians in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, who are allegedly smuggling drugs aboard these go-fast speedboats or to actually go
after heads of state, as we just saw in Venezuela.
So I think the idea right now that he may turn his attention to Colombia, to Cuba, to Mexico, maybe even Panama, which, earlier in the year, had been
under the -- under threat of an invasion for the seizure of the Panama Canal. All of those things now seem feasible, as wild as that might sound.
GIOKOS: All right, Benjamin Gedan, great to have you. Thank you so much, sir.
All right. I want to take you now to Capitol Hill, where U.S. lawmakers are receiving classified briefings on Venezuela today. Top Trump administration
officials are speaking with lawmakers about their decision to forcibly remove president Nicolas Maduro from office on January 3rd.
Briefings for the Senate are set for this hour and the House will receive its report sometime in the next hour. We've got CNN's Arlette Saenz
following the story for us from Capitol Hill.
Good to see you.
What are the expectations for today's briefings?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, top Trump administration officials have been in this briefing with senators for about half an hour now, as
senators have many questions about the future of Venezuela but also what the Trump administration's intent is for places like Greenland.
This is the first time that senators and members of the House all entirely will receive this classified briefing from these lawmakers.
We have heard Democrats expressing a lot of concern since this operation on Saturday that removed the former leader, Nicolas Maduro, from Venezuela,
about the way that the administration handled that operation, not seeking any congressional consent on that matter but also on what happens next with
Venezuela.
These lawmakers have a lot of questions relating to the interim government and what might happen if they do not work with the Trump administration,
what the Trump administration's intent is with the oil reserves in that country.
This morning, Energy Secretary, right, said that the U.S. would be in charge of all sales and all money that comes from that Venezuelan oil. And
then we've also heard from Democrats and Republican lawmakers some concern about the heightened rhetoric from the administration relating to
Greenland.
Specifically, this idea of floating potential military action to acquire that country. That is something that these officials, from secretary of
state Marco Rubio to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, will be pressed on by these lawmakers in this hearing.
That meeting, the classified briefing right now with senators is ongoing. Then these top Trump administration officials will move over to the House,
where they will give another briefing.
[10:35:00]
As lawmakers on both sides of the aisle continue to have questions about the Trump administration's plans for Venezuela and beyond.
GIOKOS: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you for that update, live from Capitol Hill.
We're going to a short break. I'll be back right after this.
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GIOKOS (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Eleni Giokos. Here are your headlines.
The United States has seized an oil tanker that's linked to Venezuela in the North Atlantic. The British defense ministry says the U.K. provided
support for the operation, formerly called the Bella 1. The tanker is under U.S. sanctions for allegedly transporting illicit oil.
It's been operating under the Russian flag after its crew painted the flag on its hull while it was being pursued.
We're keeping a close eye on Capitol Hill, where House and Senate lawmakers from both parties are gathering today for classified briefings on
Venezuela. Top Trump administration officials are speaking with lawmakers about the strategy of removing president Nicolas Maduro from office and
what comes next for Venezuela.
Nationwide protests in Iran over the spiraling economic crisis have entered the 11th day. A human rights group says at least 29 protesters have been
killed and nearly 1,200 have been arrested.
GIOKOS: Now back to our breaking news this hour, the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. The British Defence Ministry now says the
U.K. provided support for the operation. The formally named Bella 1 was under American sanctions for operating within a so-called shadow fleet of
ships transporting illicit oil.
Also today, the U.S. military seized what it calls a stateless vessel in the Caribbean, allegedly conducting illicit activities. I want to go
straight now to our senior national security reporter, Zachary Cohen.
Zach, good to have you on. As we get this new information that the U.K. armed forces also provided operational support to the U.S. military to
seize that oil tanker in the North Atlantic, take me through what we know.
ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a saga that started last month when the U.S. first tried to seize the tanker known
as the Bella 1, when it was near Venezuela in the Caribbean, unsuccessfully doing so. In that instance, U.S. forces were unable to board the tanker at
that time.
The tanker then turned around and fled. U.S. forces continued to track the Bella 1, though, as it continued to make its way north, ultimately leading
to the successful seizure that we saw carried out today.
Now leading up to this, though, as we mentioned, U.S. surveillance aircraft tracking this vessel, which at some point tried to claim that it was
sailing under a Russian flag.
[10:40:05]
And that's when people aboard the vessel painted a Russian flag on the hull of the ship. Now the Russian government later claiming that this ship was
in fact, you know, under their operational control, asking the U.S. to stop pursuing it, which the U.S. clearly ignored that request.
Carrying out the operation, which was a joint operation between the U.S. military and Department of Justice. And as you mentioned, the United
Kingdom, leading up to this operation to the U.S. military, was amassing forces around in Europe. Several of these aircraft were based in the U.K.
Special Forces as well, making their way to the U.K. before this operation took place. And look, this is also coming as we're learning of a second
vessel that was interdicted and seized in the Caribbean.
Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense for the U.S., making clear that both of these operations, part of an effort to enforce that total blockade of
illicit oil shipments that president Donald Trump announced a few weeks ago.
This is part of the ramping-up of pressure not only on former now president Nicolas Maduro, who was obviously captured in that Special Forces operation
the other day, but on the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez.
The administration has made clear must essentially help them crack down on any illicit oil flowing to other countries, including U.S. adversaries like
Russia, China, Iran and Cuba. That's really the hyperfocus now for the Trump administration following the operation, targeting Maduro.
Is really cracking down and targeting the flow of illicit oil, which they say will ultimately lead to more legitimate oil shipment and crude oil
entering the global marketplace.
So this is something that we expect to see continue happening, that the U.S. will really try to you know, target these so-called shadow fleet
tankers, the ones that, similarly to the Bella 1, were sanctioned back in 2004 for shipping illicit oil around the world.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, what I find fascinating -- and you mentioned this -- that the Russian flag was being painted on its hull, you know, during the
pursuit. And I wonder, you know, because you focus on the security side of things, whether they thought that was going to be a deterrent in terms of
the seizure of this vessel.
COHEN: That was really the big question. Sources telling us when we've asked that leading up to this operation today, that, while the Russians
clearly claiming that that vessel was you know, under their control, the U.S. taking a different view.
Saying that they believe that that vessel was essentially flagless and therefore could be interdicted in the way that we ultimately saw happen
today.
And look, that's something similar to what we're going to see with other vessels in this so-called shadow fleet. The U.S. clearly views these
vessels as flagless and therefore legitimate targets of interdiction.
GIOKOS: All right. Fascinating. Zach, great to have you. Thank you so much for that update.
We're going to a very short break. We've got more news for you right after this.
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[10:45:00]
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GIOKOS: President Trump plans to meet with U.S. oil executives on Friday to discuss Venezuela. That is according to a senior White House official.
It comes after Mr. Trump said Tuesday Caracas will be turning over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the U.S. to be sold
at market value. That could bring in more than $2 billion.
The president also said, without further explanation, the money will be used to benefit the people of Venezuela as well as the United States. CNN
business and economics reporter Anna Cooban is covering the latest from London.
Anna, good to have you on the story.
The U.S. Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, spoke earlier today at a conference in Miami about the sale of Venezuelan oil and, importantly,
saying that the proceeds will be distributed by the United States.
Take me through this key messaging, because now we have an understanding of what the U.S. intends to do with those 30 million to 50 million barrels of
oil per month.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't have much detail beyond what Chris Wright has said. He was speaking earlier
today at this conference. I think one of the big takeaways is that he's saying that the proceeds from this oil, this Venezuelan oil, will be
controlled by the U.S. government.
So I just want to hand over to Chris Wright, just to kind of explain in his words what he was meaning by that
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: We're going to let the market let the oil flow, sell that market to United States refineries and to around the
world to bring better oil supplies. But have those sales done by the U.S. government and deposited into accounts controlled by the U.S. government.
And then from there, those funds can flow back into Venezuela to benefit the Venezuelan people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOBAN: So he's talking there quite explicitly that this is to, you know, to the benefit of Venezuelan people. And it needs to be said, I think,
quite explicitly as well, that this is Venezuela's oil.
We've seen the U.S. president a few days ago talk about the greatest theft in the history of America, referring to Venezuela expropriating the assets
of U.S. companies a couple of decades ago, which did -- which did happen. But the oil itself is Venezuelan oil.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean -- and president Trump said the same thing. And actually this was posted on X. And I want to I want to put that up -- on
Truth Social; pardon me. I want you to take a look at this. And this is very telling of president Trump's intentions.
And he goes on to say -- he talks about the 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil that was sanctioned and the oil will be sold at its market
price and that money "will be controlled by me as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to the benefit of people of
Venezuela and the United States."
So I mean, this is clearly now Trump administration policy to do so. They also plan to meet with oil executives on Friday. And this is going to be
very telling in terms of the appetite of oil execs to want to get a sense of whether they want to invest in Venezuela without a real understanding of
the regime.
And, of course, who's going to be running the country effectively?
COOBAN: Yes. I mean, we have seen this dynamic before, I think that needs to be said, a couple of decades ago. And, you know, he's painted -- Trump
has painted quite a simplistic picture. Go in, get the oil, sell the oil. And yes, we've got these up to 50 million barrels going to the U.S. at the
moment.
But Venezuela is sitting on a trove of 300 billion barrels and actually getting that to the global market is going to be a huge undertaking. These
oil companies need reassurance on a number of fronts. They need to know about the political situation.
You know, in a few years' time, is it going to be the same situation, very different?
Are they going to have the rules change?
Are they going to have to face similar issues to what they faced in the early aughts, when they had their assets taken away from them?
And they need to know that their personnel, that their equipment is going to be safe, that they're going to have security guarantees.
And that then raises questions are we going to see U.S. military on the ground protecting these oil assets and U.S. and U.S. people?
And also they want to know that it's going to be profitable for them, because there is this tension at the moment between relatively low oil
prices and actually having oil, the oil price be enough for oil companies to see this venture and all this investment, tens of billions of it, as
actually being worthwhile for them.
GIOKOS: Yes. OK. Very quickly, I want to quickly check in on the Dow. Everyone's focusing on whether it's going to hit that 50,000 mark. In fact,
I need to check to see where it's -- where it is right now.
This is also going to be quite telling because Mike (ph) -- so it's not exactly at 50 just yet but really important that we are at record highs
already. We're sitting at 49,250 points. We are down half a percent in fact.
To what extent are we seeing resilience in the market with all these geopolitical issues that have emerged over the last few days?
[10:50:04]
COOBAN: I mean, it is quite striking. You would imagine, with everything that's going on, not just with Venezuela but what Trump is saying about
trying to acquire Greenland, that this would normally make investors very nervous.
And we haven't seen -- we're not -- we're only -- we're seeing the market, you know, the S&P 500 hit an all time high yesterday. And also now we've
got this record, approaching a record for the Dow. It doesn't seem to make much sense. Or at least it shows that investors are feeling quite resilient
to it.
And oil again very interesting. That hasn't moved very much, either. You would expect there to be some maybe price drop with the expectation of more
supply coming to the market.
But again, I think investors are quite understanding of the fact that a lot of work, a lot of time and money needs to be done in Venezuela before we
see this oil really come to the global market in a big way.
GIOKOS: Yes, I think there's a bit of shock and racism (ph) to see how this all lands before people put their money into the markets or at least
take out. So Anna Cooban, thank you so much. Good to have you on. Appreciate it.
Right. We're going to a short break. Stay with us.
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GIOKOS: More about the U.S. operation to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was linked to Venezuela. The U.K. says it provided support for
the seizure of the ship, previously known as the Bella 1, in the North Atlantic earlier today.
We've got CNN's Clare Sebastian with us.
Clare, you know, we spoke as the ship was being seized in the North Atlantic. Now we're getting more information and we know that the U.S. the
U.K. armed forces assisted the U.S. military. Give me a sense of what we know about how this operation played out.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. What we're hearing is that there was some pretty significant support from the U.K. provided to the U.S. It's
being described as pre-planned operational support by the U.K. defense ministry today. So clearly there was some planning in the works here.
We know that this was the culmination of many weeks of the U.S. pursuing this tanker, three different categories. I think you can file this under
basing, they're calling it, for the U.S. military assets involved in seizing the ship. We had seen through open source data that a number of
U.S. military aircraft had been moved into the U.K.
They already operate a number of bases in the U.K., have a lot of military assets here already but more were being moved in, in the previous days
leading up to this seizure. So that's one thing.
There was also RFA Tideforce, which is a replenishment vessel, which provided support apparently to U.S. forces pursuing the Bella 1. And then
the RAF also provided surveillance support from the air, according to the defense ministry.
So look, this was an opportunity, I think, for the U.S. to really stand alongside -- for the U.K., rather, to stand alongside the U.S., even as we
see questions swirling around the U.S. commitment to NATO and its commentary around Greenland.
And we, in a statement from the Defense Secretary today, he said that the ship with a nefarious history is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of
sanctions evasion, which is fueling terrorism, conflict and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine.
So not only an opportunity to stand alongside the U.S. But also to really play a part in cracking down on the shadow fleet and sanctions evasions,
which is something that is very clearly a priority for the U.K., Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes and, I mean, I think it's really important for our viewers and, you know, we covered the Bella 1 extensively last month during the,
you know, the pursuit, the U.S. wasn't able to capture that then. What was interesting in the details that we're reading is that it was under the flag
of Guyana, changed to Russia.
[10:55:05]
It was painted on the hull during the pursuit, the Russian flag.
What is the significance of the change in flag here, given that Russia and the United States, I guess, are in conversations specifically around what
is happening in Ukraine?
SEBASTIAN: You know, I think this is a critical detail because obviously the shadow fleet has been a method by which Russia has been able to claim
deniability over the movement of sanctioned oil around the world.
It has been one of the key loopholes in the whole architecture of Western sanctions around Ukraine. Obviously, we're not just talking about Ukraine
here; Iran potentially involvement here and, of course, Venezuela.
But we're getting a bit more information, actually, from the Russian transport ministry. Interesting that it should come from the Russian
transport ministry and not the foreign ministry or the defense ministry or even the Kremlin.
But they're saying that the vessel, which had been renamed Marinera over the course of the last few weeks, received temporary authorization to sail
under the state flag of the Russian Federation. That seems to be a new detail, that it was just temporary authorization.
And they did condemn the action today, saying that no state has the right to use force against vessels that are properly registered in the
jurisdiction of other nations.
But overall, the reaction from Russia fairly muted today. So they seem to have wanted to claim this ship to try to protect it. But at this point,
we're seeing efforts, I think, to deescalate from the Russian side.
GIOKOS: All right, Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for guiding us through all this breaking news that we've seen happening over the last two
hours. Really significant information.
Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you so much for staying with us. We have more news right after this. "ONE WORLD" up next. I'm Eleni
Giokos. I'll see you tomorrow.
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