US seizes tanker linked to Venezuela ahead of US Prez's meet with Machado

The United States has seized another Venezuelan-linked tanker, US officials told Reuters on Thursday, ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

 

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 condition of anonymity, said the seizure took place in the Caribbean. The US military’s Southern Command confirmed the pre-dawn operation, saying US forces apprehended Motor Tanker Veronica “without incident.” It said the vessel was “operating in defiance of President Trump’s established guarantees for sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

 

 

The seizures began as part of Trump’s campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power, which culminated in US forces swooping into the country to grab him and his wife on January 3.

 

The US Department of Energy is orchestrating the effort to sell a total of about 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil that has been stranded since President Trump imposed the partial blockade last month, people with direct knowledge told the New York Times, speaking anonymously.