He said the seizure took place in international waters off of Venezuela's coast earlier in the morning; the operation was led by the Coast Guard and assisted by the U.S Navy. The tanker was carrying Venezuelan oil to Asia under the flag of Panama. He noted China is Venezuela's top oil customer. This particular tanker was not covered by U.S. sanctions, and I think that underscores the attempts and objective of the U.S. to really try and cut off Maduro's economic lifeline, Liptak reported.