US targets shippers for bringing Venezuela oil to Cuba

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on two shipping companies for delivering Venezuelan oil to ally Cuba in what it called a response to actions against opposition lawmakers in Caracas. The Treasury Department said it was taking aim at the Monsoon Navigation Corp., headquartered in the Marshall Islands, and Liberian-based Serenity Maritime Ltd. for owning ships involved in oil transfers that took place through March. The United States accuses its longtime nemesis Cuba of propping up President Nicolas Maduro by sending security forces, with Venezuela paying its ally back through oil.