US forces board Veronica III oil tanker after Trump quarantine evasion

The Division of Struggle (DOW) stated on Sunday that US forces have interdicted a ship within the Indo-Pacific after it tried to evade a quarantine order from the Trump administration.

In a press release on

“The ship tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine – hoping to slide away. We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the space and stopped it. No different nation has the attain, endurance or will to do that,” the federal government report stated.

“Worldwide waters aren’t any sanctuary. By land, air or sea, we are going to discover you and produce you justice,” it added. “The Ministry of Struggle will deny unlawful actors and their accomplices freedom of motion within the maritime area.”

US army seizes one other fugitive oil tanker linked to VENEZUELA

U.S. forces conduct a visitation, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III with out incident in INDOPACOM’s space of ​​accountability after the ship reportedly tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine, February 15, 2026. (X/@DeptofWar)

The Veronica III is the most recent in a sequence of high-profile maritime seizures by the US army geared toward imposing sanctions and curbing Venezuelan oil exports.

President Donald Trump introduced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers coming into and leaving Venezuela in mid-December, as Washington elevated its naval presence within the Caribbean to strain now-former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

According to OpenSanctionsthe Veronica III is listed on the US Treasury Division’s Specifically Designated Nationals sanctions record.

U.S. forces implement a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III in INDOPACOM’s space of ​​accountability after the ship reportedly tried to defy President Trump’s quarantine, Feb. 15, 2026. (X/@DeptofWar)

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The tanker, a significant crude provider inbuilt 2006 and flagged in Panama, has been linked to the transport of tons of of 1000’s of tons of sanctioned Iranian oil and is affiliated with a Chinese language ship administration firm that can be topic to sanctions.

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OpenSanctions notes that the ship has beforehand sailed beneath totally different names and flags as a part of efforts to evade sanctions and conceal its actions at sea.

The Veronica III was among the many ships sanctioned by the Treasury Division in December 2024 as a part of a broader motion in opposition to 35 different entities and tankers concerned in transporting illicit Iranian oil to international markets.