The United States military seized a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Caribbean early Thursday, according to the U.S. Southern Command, hours before Venezuelan opposition and government officials were headed to Washington.
It’s the sixth such seizure in recent weeks as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure on the Venezuelan government, even after the U.S. commando raid that captured President Nicolás Maduro.
Marines and sailors from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier conducted Thursday’s operation, U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X.
“The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, proving the effectiveness of Operation Southern Spear yet again,” Southcom said.
The latest vessel seizure comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Venezuela’s interim government was sending an emissary to Washington on Thursday as well.
The Veronica is the sixth vessel targeted in recent weeks, including two oil tankers seized on the Atlantic last week. It is part of an effort by the military to enforce a quarantine on sanctioned vessels transporting oil to or from Venezuela, and it comes alongside the Trump administration’s aggressive strategy to curb oil shipments that evade sanctions.
“The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully,” Southcom said.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW.