⚓️🇺🇸 US boards Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean

Oneliner

The US military has boarded the Aquila II, a Panama-flagged tanker linked to Venezuela, in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. This operation is part of the US's strategy to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil and disrupt smuggling networks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the tanker was intercepted for defying the oil blockade established by the Trump administration. The vessel is currently detained while the US decides its final disposition.

Key points

• US military boarded the Aquila II, a Panama-flagged tanker, in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean.
• The operation is part of a broader US strategy to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil and disrupt smuggling networks.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the commitment to capture all sanctioned vessels, stating, 'None of them escape.'
• The Aquila II is currently detained while the US decides its final disposition.

Links

• El Mundo: Fuerzas de EEUU abordan el buque petrolero sancionado en el Índico tras la persecución desde el Caribe
• Die Welt: „Nichts wird uns abhalten“ – USA stoppen Tanker „am anderen Ende der Welt“
• Euronews: US boards Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean

Facts

• The Aquila II was boarded on February 9, 2026.
• This operation is part of a broader US strategy to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil.
• The tanker is linked to the illicit shipment of Russian oil and had been operating with its transponder turned off.
• The US has previously seized seven tankers as part of its efforts against Venezuelan oil smuggling.

Quotes

• None of them escape — Pete Hegseth
• The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean — Pentagon statement

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