the White House said Thursday, as fears mount of open conflict between the two countries. Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel in an operation that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's "regime."

President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval build-up in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people. Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed support during a phone call with his ally Maduro, but with Moscow's forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.  "The vessel will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists of the tanker.

"We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world." Earlier on Thursday, Noem told a congressional hearing that the tanker operation to ensure "we're pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs" -- a reference to US allegations of narcotics smuggling by Maduro's government. A video released Wednesday by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker's deck, then entering the ship's bridge with weapons raised. Bondi said the ship was part of an "illicit oil shipping network" that was used to carry sanctioned oil. (Bssnews)