{"id":3105,"date":"2026-02-16T06:51:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=3105"},"modified":"2026-02-16T06:51:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:51:06","slug":"us-forces-board-and-shut-down-sanctioned-venezuela-linked-oil-tanker-in-the-indian-ocean-world-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=3105","title":{"rendered":"US forces board and ‘shut down’ sanctioned Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean | World News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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US forces have boarded another sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean as part of efforts to target illicit oil tankers linked to Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Military personnel boarded the Veronica III in a “right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding”, the Department of War said in a social media post on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Venezuela<\/a><\/strong> had faced US sanctions on its oil for several years and relied on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to transport the crude oil.<\/p>\n

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\n US forces tracked the oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. Pic: X\/Department of War
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“The vessel tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine – hoping to slip away,” the Department of War said on X.<\/p>\n

“We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.<\/p>\n

“No other nation has the reach, endurance, or will to do this.”<\/p>\n

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\n \"The\n <\/div>
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\n The operation is part of efforts to target illicit oil tankers linked to Venezuela. Pic: X\/Department of War
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December<\/a><\/strong> to increase economic pressure on then-president Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n

The next month, Maduro and his wife were abducted in a US military operation and taken to New York to stand trial.<\/p>\n

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\n \"The\n <\/div>
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\n The US doesn\u2019t clarify whether the ship was formally seized. Pic: X\/Department of War
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Several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast in the wake of the raid, including the Veronica III, that was boarded overnight.<\/p>\n

“International waters are not sanctuary. By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice,” the Department of War said.<\/p>\n

“The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies freedom of movement in the maritime domain.”<\/p>\n

Video posted by the department shows US troops boarding the tanker.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Donald\n <\/div>
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\n Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December. Pic: X\/Department of War
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Read more from Sky News:
Russia killed Alexei Navalny with dart frog poison, UK and allies say<\/a>
Trump says Iran regime change would be the ‘best thing that could happen’<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Veronica III is a Panamanian-flagged vessel under US sanctions related to Iran, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s website.<\/p>\n

The Panama Maritime Authority said that the ship was no longer registered after its authorisation was cancelled in December 2024.<\/p>\n

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\n \"The\n <\/div>
\n Image:<\/span>
\n The US described the operation as a ‘right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding. Pic: X\/Department of War
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Veronica III left Venezuela on 3 January, the same day as Maduro’s capture, with nearly 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil, TankerTrackers.com posted on X.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n

“Since 2023, she’s been involved with Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil,” the organisation said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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