The United ‌States is attempting to ​seize a Venezuela-linked ‍oil tanker after ​a more ​than ⁠two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday. The ‌seizure, which could stoke tensions ​with ‌Russia,

The US has begun an operation to seize an oil tanker linked to Venezuela after tracking it across the Atlantic, a source with knowledge of the operation told CNN on Wednesday.

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

Shares of major U.S. companies in the energy sector are sharply higher after President Donald Trump announced plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and said American companies would revita

The agreement is a strong sign that the Venezuelan government is responding to Trump’s demand that they open up to U.S. oil companies.

Oil prices fell on Wednesday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. had reached a deal to import $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude, a move that is expected to increase supplies to the world's largest oil consumer.

Chevron, the only U.S. oil major operating ‌in ​Venezuela, is calling employees back to the ‌South American country as its crude exports to the U.S. resume and it tries to secure normal ​operations, according to a source and shipping data.

A flotilla of US oil tankers is poised to begin loading stranded Venezuelan oil, as analysts warned the country’s production will “collapse” unless Washington halts its naval blockade. Chevron, the most prominent US company operating in Venezuela,