Trump says US has received 80m barrels of Venezuelan oil; 3rd tanker seized

US military forces have intercepted a third oil tanker in the Indian Ocean, identified as the Panamanian-flagged Veronica III, which had reportedly fled from Venezuelan waters. This operation was announced by the Pentagon and is part of a broader effort to enforce US sanctions against Venezuela's oil exports, which have been in place for several years. The Veronica III was tracked from the Caribbean Sea after leaving Venezuela on the same day that President Nicolás Maduro was captured during an American military operation in January. The tanker is accused of violating a "quarantine" on oil shipments from Venezuela, a measure ordered by President Donald Trump in December to pressure Maduro's regime. The US has accused Venezuela of relying on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude oil into global supply chains due to the sanctions imposed on its oil industry. The interception of the Veronica III follows a previous boarding of another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean, highlighting the ongoing enforcement of US sanctions against Venezuela's oil trade. The Pentagon's actions reflect a commitment to curtail the flow of oil that the US considers to be in violation of its sanctions. The US military's operations underscore the continued tensions surrounding Venezuela's oil trade and the US's efforts to disrupt illicit oil shipments connected to the Maduro government. The capture of the Veronica III marks a significant step in the US's strategy to target vessels linked to Venezuela's oil exports, which are a crucial source of revenue for the Maduro administration.