The U.S. military has seized another oil tanker that was trying to “defy” President Donald Trump’s blockade on all sanctioned vessels going in and out of Venezuela.
The War Department said the vessel, Veronica III, sought to evade sanctions by transiting from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean. Troops boarded the ship early Sunday and seized it “without incident.”
“International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice,” it said in a statement on X. “The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain.”
The operation is at least the ninth conducted by the U.S. military since the blockade was imposed in December in order to pressure former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to step down. Maduro was eventually captured by U.S. forces in Caracas in a stunning mission that has subsequently given the Trump administration more control over Venezuela’s oil supply and its “shadow fleet,” or vessels operating in defiance of sanctions.
The Veronica has a history that extends past the South American country, however. In 2024, the Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the vessel over its shipment of Iranian oil while traveling under the Panamanian flag.
Its seizure comes amid heightened tension between the United States and Iran, specifically over the latter’s violent crackdown on anti-regime protests last month.
Trump has sought to increase the pressure on the regime as he weighs a military response to the crackdown that killed thousands of protesters.
TRUMP TARGETS IRAN’S ‘SHADOW FLEET’ WITH NEW SANCTIONS ON TEHRAN OIL NETWORK
Part of that has been on its economy, including recently targeting Iran’s “shadow fleet” with new sanctions. The other has been with a show of force, with Trump surging military assets to the region.
He has still held out hope for a diplomatic resolution, however, mainly through a nuclear deal. Key negotiators from both sides have met once already, with the next round reportedly slated for Tuesday with plenty on the line.
