The United States has seized another Venezuela-linked tanker, U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday (January 15, 2026), ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
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The seizure marks the sixth vessel targeted in recent weeks that was either carrying Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the seizure took place in the Caribbean.
The U.S. military's Southern Command confirmed the pre-dawn operation, saying U.S. forces apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica "without incident". It said the Veronica was "operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean."
"The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully," Southern Command said in a statement.
