• The US has seized another tanker linked to Venezuela, marking the sixth such operation.
• The operation comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Machado.
• The seized vessel, Motor/Tanker Veronica, was operating in defiance of US sanctions.
• This seizure is part of a broader attempt to control Venezuelan oil exports.
• The US aims to ensure only properly coordinated oil leaves Venezuela.

The United States has seized a sixth oil tanker linked to Venezuela as part of a larger campaign to control oil exports from the country. The tanker Veronica was intercepted in the Caribbean before a meeting between President Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, marking a significant escalation in U.S. efforts against Venezuelan oil transfers, according to SCMP and Reuters.

The seizure occurred during a pre-dawn operation, confirming the U.S. military's ongoing commitment to enforcing sanctions. Following five previous seizures since December, this event illustrates the Trump administration's intensified efforts to dismantle what officials describe as a "ghost fleet" transporting sanctioned oil, according to CBS News and Channel News Asia.

The U.S. Southern Command stated that the tanker was seized "without incident" and emphasized the intention that "only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully." This approach indicates a strategic push by the U.S. to supervise oil exports as part of broader geopolitical tensions with Venezuela, explained in reports by BBC and Anadolu Agency.

These operations coincide with the recent military seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces and the ongoing strategy to control Venezuelan oil resources amidst heavy international scrutiny. Venezuelan officials have denounced these actions as "international piracy," a sentiment echoed in multiple sources, including India Times and Anadolu Agency.