U.S. forces seize 7th oil tanker allegedly linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. forces seized a seventh oil tanker allegedly related to Venezuela in the Caribbean on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Southern Command said on X.

"This morning, U.S. military forces, in support of the Department of Homeland Security, apprehended Motor Vessel Sagitta without incident," the command said in a statement.

The command claimed that the tanker was "operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean."

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said earlier this month that the United States will not only market stored oil in Venezuela but also control the sales of oil output from the country indefinitely.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered "a total and complete blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers going into and out of Venezuela in mid-December, days after the U.S. forces seized the first oil tanker linked with the oil-rich South American nation. ■