US seizes Venezuela-linked tanker ahead of Trump-Machado meeting

WASHINGTON – The United States has seized another Venezuela-linked tanker, US officials told Reuters on Jan 15, 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 the 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 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.

The seizures began as part of Mr 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.

Since then, Mr Trump has said the United States

plans to control Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely

as it seeks to rebuild the country’s dilapidated oil industry.

The vessels intercepted so far have been either under US sanctions or part of a

“shadow fleet” of unregulated ships

that disguise their origins to move oil from major sanctioned producers – Iran, Russia or Venezuela.

Last week, the US seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was being shadowed by a Russian submarine after pursuing it for more than two weeks across the Atlantic.

The move was condemned by Moscow.

The latest seizure came ahead of the

meeting between Mr Trump and Ms Machado

on Jan 15, in their first face-to-face meeting since the US ousted her long-time foe, Maduro.

Mr Trump has previously called her a “freedom fighter” but dismissed the idea of installing her to lead Venezuela after ousting Maduro, saying she did not have enough domestic support.

A classified CIA assessment presented to Mr Trump concluded that Maduro loyalists, including acting president Rodriguez, were best positioned to maintain stability. REUTERS