U.S. seizes Venezuela-linked tanker ahead of Trump-Machado meeting

The United States ‍has seized another Venezuela-linked tanker, U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday (January 15, 2026), ahead ​of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump ‌and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

The seizure ​marks the sixth vessel targeted in recent weeks that was either carrying Venezuelan oil or had done so in the past. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the seizure took place in the Caribbean.

The U.S. military’s Southern Command confirmed the pre-dawn operation, saying U.S. forces ​apprehended Motor/Tanker Veronica “without incident”. It said the Veronica ⁠was “operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

“The only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated ​properly and lawfully,” Southern ⁠Command said in a statement.

The seizures began as part of Trump’s campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of power, which culminated in U.S. forces swooping into the ‌country to “capture” him and his wife on January ‌3, 2026.

Since then, Mr. Trump has said the United States plans to control Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely ‍as it seeks to rebuild the country’s dilapidated oil industry.

The vessels intercepted so far have been either under U.S. sanctions or ‍part of a “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships that disguise their origins to move oil from major sanctioned producers – Iran, Russia or Venezuela.

Last week, the U.S. seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was being shadowed by a Russian submarine after pursuing it for more than two weeks across the Atlantic. The move was condemned by Moscow.

The latest seizure came ahead ⁠of Thursday’s (January 15, 2026) meeting between Mr. Trump and Ms. Machado, in their first face-to-face meeting since the U.S. ousted her ​long-time foe, Mr. Maduro.

Mr. Trump has previously called her a “freedom fighter” ⁠but dismissed the idea of installing her to lead Venezuela after ousting Mr. Maduro, saying she did not have enough domestic support.

A classified CIA assessment presented to Mr. Trump concluded that Mr. Maduro loyalists, including Ms. Rodriguez, were best ⁠positioned to maintain stability.