OREANDA-NEWS. US authorities confiscated a cargo of fuel from Iranian tankers heading to Venezuela.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal. It is noted that the United States intercepted tankers Luna, Pandi, Bering and Bella, which were transporting oil from Iran to Venezuela. According to the publication, the ships are being redirected to Houston (Texas State).

However, Washington did not use military force when detaining ships. At the same time, details of the seizure of the vessels are still unknown. The publication notes that a spokesman for the US Department of Justice declined to comment the situation.

Associated Press, citing a high-ranking official, reported that the ships were not confiscated in fact. Presumably, US authorities threatened ship owners, insurers and tanker captains with sanctions to force them to hand over their cargo, which has become a property of the USA.