The War Zone – Fired by Su-30MK2V Flankers, the Russian-supplied Kh-31 anti-ship missiles are still a danger to U.S. warships operating near Venezuelan shores.

Breaking Defense – Official information is tough to come by, but analysts say open questions abound about Caracas’ biggest ticket vessels.

MarineLink – U.S. Secretary of State warned Venezuela on Thursday that it would be “a very bad day” for the South American country if it were to attack its neighbor Guyana or U.S.-based energy giant ExxonMobil, in comments that threatened unspecified action in such a case.

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – Tensions between Venezuela and Guyana continue to rise with the Venezuelan Coast Guard recently making incursions into Guyana’s exclusive economic zone.

USNI News – An Iranian Navy ship thought to be bound for Venezuela left its port in late April with seven high-speed missile-attack craft strapped to its deck.

USNI News – Venezuela’s propaganda videos are showing off warships armed with new Chinese-made anti-ship missiles. The C-802A missile, supplied by Beijing to the Venezuelan Navy, is designed to take out surface ships at ranges of over 100 nautical miles. The sea-skimming missile is generally analogous to the Harpoon. This arms deal should greatly increase the reach and potency of President Nicolás Maduro’s navy.

– War Zone – The Venezuelan military has pledged to protect the tankers, which are carrying gasoline, from any American attempts to seize them.

(Thanks to Alain)

– War Zone – The Venezuelan ship appears to have been trying to seize the cruise ship, which is designed to safely sail through icy waters.

– CIMSEC – Is it due to increased security on tankers?