The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia revealed on Friday the arrest warrant against the seized oil tanker M/T Skipper, as part of the application of sanctions against the regimes of Venezuela and Iran, in an operation coordinated with the FBI and the US Coast Guard.

According to the official statement, the court order to carry out the seizure was signed at the end of November, and on December 10 the Coast Guard boarded and confiscated the vessel while it was sailing on the high seas, after having set sail from Venezuela.

US authorities stated that the M/T Skipper, formerly known as Adisa, had been identified by the Treasury Department as part of an oil transport network linked to the financing of terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the investigation, the revenue generated from these oil operations was used to support international terrorist activities.

Federal prosecutor Jeanine Ferris Pirro affirmed that her office remains committed to supporting the U.S. government's efforts to intercept vessels used to evade international sanctions. She also highlighted her office's experience in combating illicit networks operating through maritime trade.

For his part, FBI Director Kash Patel stated that this seizure demonstrates the United States' determination to impose real costs on governments that use illegal mechanisms to access financial and technological markets. He emphasized that cooperation between different agencies is key to curbing these operations and weakening actors considered adversaries of international security.

The operation was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with direct support from the U.S. Coast Guard. The case remains under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, in coordination with specialized divisions of the Department of Justice.