Watch: Video shows US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coast
Watch: Video shows US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coast
According to US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who shared the footage, the tanker was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
Read the full article on BBC World
Truth Analysis
Analysis Summary:
The article presents a claim about the US military seizing an oil tanker transporting sanctioned oil. While the USNI news article (1) confirms seizures of tankers with Iranian oil bound for Venezuela, the PBS article (2) references US military strikes on boats, and Al Jazeera (4) reports on Iran seizing tankers. The BBC article relies on a statement from Pam Bondi, introducing potential bias, and the provided sources do not directly confirm the specific incident described in the BBC article.
Detailed Analysis:
- Claim: US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coast.
- Verification Source #1: Confirms seizures of ships filled with Iranian oil bound for Venezuela.
- Verification Source #2: Reports on US military strikes on Venezuelan boats.
- Verification Source #4: Reports on Iran seizing oil tankers.
- Verification Source #5: Reports on US destroyers having a standoff with Iranian vessels over a seized oil tanker.
- Assessment: Partially supported. While seizures and standoffs involving oil tankers are confirmed, the specific claim of a US military seizure off the Venezuelan coast is not directly confirmed by the provided sources. Some sources describe related events, but not the exact scenario.
- Claim: The tanker was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
- Verification Source #1: Confirms Iranian oil being transported to Venezuela on seized ships.
- Assessment: Partially supported. Source 1 confirms Iranian oil being transported to Venezuela. The claim that the oil is 'sanctioned' is implied but not explicitly stated in all sources. The BBC article attributes this claim to Pam Bondi, which introduces a potential source of bias.
Supporting Evidence/Contradictions:
- USNI news reports seizures of ships filled with Iranian oil bound for Venezuela (Source 1).
- Al Jazeera reports on Iran seizing oil tankers (Source 4).