US Military Boards Sanctioned Tanker Veronica III in Indian Ocean

• US military forces boarded the Panama-flagged tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea.
• The vessel is under US sanctions tied to Iran and Venezuela, part of efforts to curtail a 'shadow fleet' moving Venezuelan crude.
• The Pentagon stated the Veronica III attempted to evade President Donald Trump's quarantine order for sanctioned tankers.
• The operation, described as a right-of-visit and maritime interdiction, was completed without incident.
• The Veronica III left Venezuela on January 3 with nearly 2 million barrels of crude and fuel oil, and has been linked to Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil since 2023.