The deal was in line with Trump's stated aim ​of controlling the South American OPEC member's vast oil reserves after deposing its leader Nicolas Maduro whom it had long cast as a drug-trafficking dictator in league with Washington's foes.

U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged tanker Wednesday that had evaded a naval blockade near Venezuela, officials said. The tanker, known as Marinera, “has been secured,” a U.S. official told The Washington Post.

The Bella 1 evaded a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers near Venezuela last month. Follow Newsweek's latest updates.

The United States on Wednesday seized two oil tankers Wednesday -- a Russian-flagged vessel in the North Atlantic and another in the Caribbean Sea.

The tanker was being escorted by a Russian submarine and navy ship after fleeing a blockade of sanctioned vessels near Venezuela.

Russia formally asked the United States to halt pursuit of Venezuelan oil tanker Marinera after the vessel escaped U.S. Coast Guard interception in the Caribbean.

Emboldened by his claimed control of Venezuela, President Donald Trump is “discussing a range of options” to acquire Greenland, with using the military not off the table. Follow for live updates

The move raises the stakes over the Trump administration’s attempt to seize the Bella 1, which officials say is part of fleet transporting illicit oil.