US 'Liberates' Venezuelan Oil, One Tanker at a Time
WASHINGTON (AP) — US forces have seized the 'Motor Tanker Veronica' in the Caribbean, the sixth such vessel captured since the Trump administration decided Venezuela needed some freedom from its own oil. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared “Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine
of sanctioned vessels.” The sheer audacity of a nation trying to transport its own resources, in its own waters, is apparently a casus belli for a US 'quarantine'. This aggressive naval blockade, dressed up as anti-Maduro justice, conveniently allows the US to dictate who gets to buy Venezuelan oil, a clear tactic to cripple an uncooperative economy. It’s almost as if 'freedom' means freedom for
the US to control other countries' resources. One might wonder how many more tankers need to be 'liberated' before Venezuela learns the true meaning of free trade – American style. (AP News, Jan 15, 2026)