The US Coast Guard has seized its sixth sanctioned oil tanker, claiming it has ties to Venezuela in an effort by the Trump administration to exert control over the country's lucrative oil industry.
According to a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who shared news of the seizure on social media, the tanker, named Veronica, was intercepted in the Caribbean Sea. The department did not provide further details about the ship or its crew.
The seizure is part of a broader US strategy aimed at curbing Venezuela's energy exports and limiting its ability to generate revenue for President Nicolas Maduro's government.
Washington has long viewed Maduro as a threat to regional stability and has imposed numerous sanctions on Venezuelan officials, businesses, and individuals. The Trump administration has also supported opposition leader Juan Guaido in his bid to overthrow Maduro.
The seizure of the Veronica is just the latest in a series of high-profile sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil industry. The US has already seized several other tankers carrying crude oil bound for countries like China and Russia, which have been accused by Washington of helping Maduro's government evade international sanctions.
Critics argue that the seizures are part of an effort to strangle Venezuela's economy and undermine its sovereignty, rather than addressing the country's humanitarian crisis. The international community has called on the US to lift some sanctions in order to allow Venezuelan citizens to access basic necessities like food and medicine.
According to a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who shared news of the seizure on social media, the tanker, named Veronica, was intercepted in the Caribbean Sea. The department did not provide further details about the ship or its crew.
The seizure is part of a broader US strategy aimed at curbing Venezuela's energy exports and limiting its ability to generate revenue for President Nicolas Maduro's government.
Washington has long viewed Maduro as a threat to regional stability and has imposed numerous sanctions on Venezuelan officials, businesses, and individuals. The Trump administration has also supported opposition leader Juan Guaido in his bid to overthrow Maduro.
The seizure of the Veronica is just the latest in a series of high-profile sanctions targeting Venezuela's oil industry. The US has already seized several other tankers carrying crude oil bound for countries like China and Russia, which have been accused by Washington of helping Maduro's government evade international sanctions.
Critics argue that the seizures are part of an effort to strangle Venezuela's economy and undermine its sovereignty, rather than addressing the country's humanitarian crisis. The international community has called on the US to lift some sanctions in order to allow Venezuelan citizens to access basic necessities like food and medicine.
I'm thinking this is a pretty dodgy move by the Trump administration... 
I mean, don't get me wrong, they're worried about Venezuela's oil industry being controlled by Maduro's government, but is it really necessary to be so aggressive? 
It feels like they're just trying to exert control over the country and limit its ability to generate revenue, rather than addressing some of the real issues they should be focusing on... like the humanitarian crisis that's affecting millions of people. 
What do you guys think? Do you support the US's stance on Venezuela or do you think they're being too hard-nosed? 
sounds like the whole thing is just getting more complicated with all these sanctions and whatnot... i mean, i get that venezuela's got a lot of problems but do we really need to be controlling their oil trade too? 
, this is getting so crazy! 
The US is basically trying to control Venezuela's oil industry, but it's like they're not thinking about the consequences. I mean, the country is already struggling with a humanitarian crisis - what's gonna happen when they cut off its biggest source of income? 
It's like they're playing with fire here and we all know how that ends 
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We need to be talking to each other, finding ways to work together, instead of just trying to exert control. 
... Like, I get that Venezuela needs help, but does the US really need to step in like this? They're basically suffocating the country's economy, you know? And it's not like they're solving anything. The sanctions are hurting innocent people, not just Maduro and his government 
Anyway, I'm just gonna assume this is all part of some grand scheme to get more control over the region, but honestly, it feels like they're playing geopolitics, not diplomacy 
... Like, can't they just let Venezuela have its own economy? This is just another example of the US trying to control everything around them, it's like they're playing global sheriff 
It's so unfair that the US is basically strangling their economy and then blaming Venezuela for everything. This whole "regional stability" nonsense is just a cover for their own imperial ambitions 
The US has seized like, 6 tankers now... that's a lot of oil 
But seriously, have you looked at the poverty rates in Venezuela? It's through the roof 
the thought of a 6th sanctioned oil tanker being seized is crazy! but like, what's the point of even doing that? doesnt it just give Maduro more ammo to say the US is trying to control him?! 
also, have you seen the pics of the Veronica? it looks like a tiny little thing 
and i cant help but wonder how many ppl are working on this op, all day, every day 
. I mean, they're basically just trying to strangle the country's economy, which is already struggling big time due to their own sanctions 
. And let's be real, it's not like they're addressing the actual humanitarian crisis there - food and medicine shortages are real, fam! 
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. Newsflash: Venezuela has a right to trade its own resources, even if it means going around Washington's rules.
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