A bold US interdiction of the Russian tanker Mariner has sparked outrage in Moscow, with America vowing criminal prosecution for the crew amid claims of sanctions-busting oil transport from Venezuela and Iran.
On X, Attorney General Pam Bondi detailed the crew’s resistance to Coast Guard orders, framing it as an effort to ‘save’ the illicit cargo. ‘Investigations are thorough, charges imminent for the culpable, and we’re watching other non-compliant ships closely,’ she affirmed, signaling a wider DOJ campaign.
The Russian Foreign Ministry countered with a stern statement, affirming vigilant oversight of the situation and calling for humane conduct, rights protection, and swift return of its citizens.
Recapping events, US forces captured Mariner in the North Atlantic and Sophia (Panama-flagged) in the Caribbean on January 7. White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt had previewed potential US legal action against the crew.
TASS quoted Russia’s Transport Ministry decrying the seizures as violations of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which bars forceful interventions against foreign-registered ships.
This maritime melee highlights the precarious balance of enforcing sanctions at sea. With legal wheels turning and diplomatic salvos flying, the Mariner affair may catalyze shifts in international energy flows and US-Russia dynamics.