Two Venezuela-Linked "Dark Fleet" Ships Change Their Registrations Mid-Cruise to Russian In the Belief That This Will Protect Them from Trump;
But Trump Gives No Effs and Seizes Them

Russia actually sent an attack sub to protect one of the terrorist oil smuggling ships. Plus it suddenly hoisted a Russian flag and declared itself a Russian ship. Russia was part of this, because they approved the re-flagging of the ship without any of the normal steps required.

They thought Trump would be a-scared to seize a Russian-flagged terror ship.

WRONG!

Oh, and then they seized another one.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday that the U.S. seized two oil tankers linked to Venezuela.

"In two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two 'ghost fleet' tanker ships--one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean. Both vessels--the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Taker [sic] Sophia--were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it," Noem posted on X.

"Under President Trump's bold and visionary leadership, US Coast Guard tactical teams worked closely with its counterparts at the Departments of War, Department of Justice and State and used their specialized expertise to conduct these operations and conduct two safe, effective boardings within hours of each other," she continued.

"One of these tankers, Motor Tanker Bella I, has been trying to evade the Coast Guard for weeks, even changing its flag and painting a new name on the hull while being pursued, in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice. The heroic crew of the USCGC Munro pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms--keeping diligent watch, and protecting our country with the determination and patriotism that make Americans proud. These brave men and women deserve our nation's thanks for their selfless devotion to duty."

...

The vessel was one of a number of sanctioned oil tankers operating near Venezuela that recently changed their flags to Russia.

Visegrád 24 @visegrad24

9h

Russia has dispatched a submarine and several warships to escort a shadow-fleet tanker that the United States attempted to seize off the coast of Venezuela and is now pursuing in the Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The tanker Bella 1 spent more than two weeks trying to bypass the U.S. blockade on Venezuela but failed to dock and load cargo. In December, the vessel's crew repelled a U.S. attempt to board the ship and then sailed into the Atlantic Ocean.

It is now being pursued in international waters by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The tanker has since re-registered as Russian, been renamed Marinera, and the crew painted a Russian flag on the hull.

According to U.S. sources, Russia then asked Washington to stop pursuing what it now claims is a Russian vessel. On Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was following the situation around the tanker "with concern."

The ship is currently sailing about 300 miles south of Iceland toward the North Sea. A Russian submarine and other naval assets are moving in to support it.

RUSSIAN AGENT Donald Trump is going rogue like Ethan Hunt, yo!

Bu-bu-but Russia has shopping carts with refundable coin payment slots and Vladimir Putin is Super Socially Conservative you guys.

Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson's other allied nation, Iran, continues to burn.

Make no mistake: By taking out Maduro and crippling Venezuela's ability to ferry terrorist-funding Iranian oil and send oil to prop up their Cuban benefactors, Trump has taken major steps to destabilize and overthrow the (I know I shouldn't use this word but I can't help it) Axis of Evil.

And Tucker Carlson and his crew of goosestepping loonies want to pull an Obama and bail them all out!

Surge of Economic Pain Pushes Iranians to the Streets

High inflation and a currency collapse have squeezed Iranians' budgets, challenging the country's leaders.

Protesters took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, and other cities in Iran on Monday to decry surging inflation and the collapse of the national currency, which have thrown markets into chaos and punched holes in family budgets.

The currency plunged to a record low this past weekend against the U.S. dollar and the annual inflation rate rose to 42.2 percent in December.

Amid the turmoil, the head of Iran's central bank, Mohammad Reza Farzin, resigned on Monday, pending the president's acceptance, local news media reported. A former economy minister, Abdolnaser Hemmati, was set to replace him.

The economic turmoil poses a new challenge for Iran's leaders as they seek to maintain control of their country of 92 million people while recovering from attacks on its nuclear facilities in June by Israel and the United States and a campaign of "maximum pressure" from the Trump administration aimed at securing a new agreement about Iran's nuclear program.

...

Experts attribute Iran's deepening economic pain to a host of factors from poor management to policies that keep the country's economy closed. The stepped-up efforts by the Trump administration to limit Iran's oil sales to foreign countries and the war with Israel in June, during which the government tapped Iranian banks to cover its costs, have also contributed to the worsening economy.

...

The proposed 2026 budget showed the government's dilemma, reflecting a substantial decrease in oil revenue and an increased reliance on tax revenue.

On Monday, the Parliament rejected the proposed budget, the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported.

...

The currency collapse has been painful for ordinary Iranians, who have watched the value of their salaries and savings drop while prices for goods and services skyrocketed.

Omid, a 42-year-old sales manager in Tehran, said the value of his monthly income has dropped to the equivalent of $200 per month from $300 in just two months, giving him anxiety.

Via John Sexton, who also rounds up videos of the street protests.

Below, in Germany (I think), a white woman shows up to counter-protest Iranians cheering on the anti-Mullah protests.

As someone observed: White leftist women always make every single thing about themselves and their own bullshit and the thousands of evil snakes wriggling around in their heads.

But Trump Gives No Effs and Seizes Them&bodytext=Russia actually sent an attack sub to protect one of the terrorist oil smuggling ships. Plus it suddenly hoisted a Russian flag and declared itself a Russian ship. Russia was part of this, because they approved the re-flagging of the...&topic=world_news"> posted by Ace at 05:30 PM

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