United States forces have detained another tanker in the Indian Ocean that was sanctioned for transporting Venezuelan oil, according to the Pentagon.
In a post on X , the Pentagon said the Panamanian-flagged ship Veronica III had "attempted to defy" US President Donald Trump's blockade of sanctioned ships in the Caribbean and had attempted to "escape".
"We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, narrowed the distance and closed it in," he said.
The post included a video of US forces descending from a helicopter and then onto the tanker.
Venezuela faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadowy fleet of false-flag tankers to smuggle oil into global supply chains. Trump ordered the quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure President Nicolas Maduro, before U.S. special forces seized the Venezuelan leader in January.
Several tankers fled the Venezuelan coast after the raid, including one that was stranded in the Indian Ocean overnight. Last week, the Pentagon also seized the Aquila II in a similar manner. At least nine ships have been seized so far.
The seizure is part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to take control of Venezuela's oil.
