US sanctions do not automatically grant the right to seize ships on the high seas. The legal basis for capturing the "Bella One" tanker stemmed from its status as a "stateless" vessel under international maritime law, after it flew a false flag and attempted an illegal mid-voyage flag change.
Nations like Russia and Iran utilize a "shadow fleet" of tankers to bypass international sanctions. These ships engage in clandestine activities, such as broadcasting false location data ("spoofing") and making illegal flag changes, forming what one official called a "Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion."
The Trump administration's intervention in Venezuela is overtly focused on securing oil to lower global prices, rather than promoting human rights. The plan involves seizing and selling Venezuelan oil with the president personally controlling the proceeds in what critics are calling "high tech piracy."
Despite facing extreme economic scarcity, crippling power outages, and decades of US pressure, the Cuban government's collapse is not imminent. Analysts warn against underestimating the regime's staying power, citing its highly disciplined organization and a core of revolutionaries who have defied predictions of their demise.