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Ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corona Machado, the US seized another tanker linked to Venezuela, US officials told Reuters on Thursday.
The seizure is the sixth vessel carrying Venezuelan oil, or one that has previously done so, to be targeted in recent weeks. The officials, who did not want to be named, said the arrest was made in the Caribbean.
The US military’s Southern Command confirmed the pre-dawn operation and US forces captured the motor/tanker Veronica “without incident”. “President Trump is acting in violation of the quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” Veronica said.
“The only oil that comes out of Venezuela is properly and legally integrated oil,” Southern Command said in a statement.
The raids began as part of Trump’s campaign to force the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and eventually led to U.S. forces in 2015. On January 3, they entered the country to arrest him and his wife.
The United States is seizing two more oil tankers in Venezuela, one of which flies the Russian flag. The US said the tankers were part of ‘shadow ships’ carrying sanctions-busting Venezuelan oil.
Since then, Trump has said the United States plans to take control of Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely as part of an effort to rebuild the country’s devastated oil industry.
The ships intercepted so far are either under US sanctions or part of “shadow ships” pretending to be moving oil from major sanctioned producers – Iran, Russia or Venezuela.
Last week, a Russian-flagged oil tanker that the US had been pursuing for more than two weeks across the Atlantic was captured by a Russian submarine.
The move was condemned by Moscow.
The latest spat comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Machado on Thursday, the first face-to-face meeting since the United States ousted longtime adversary Maduro.
Trump has previously called her a “freedom fighter” but has said she does not have enough support at home to oppose the idea of forcing her to lead Venezuela after ousting Maduro.
A secret CIA review presented to Trump concluded that Maduro’s loyal supporters, including Delsey Rodriguez, are better placed to maintain stability.