Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:31am on 10 Feb 2026,Tuesday International
U.S. military forces boarded and seized the Aquila II, a sanctioned oil tanker, in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea for thousands of miles, the Pentagon said. The operation targets vessels believed to be evading U.S. sanctions imposed on Venezuela’s oil exports and violating a “quarantine” order aimed at cutting illicit shipments. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the ship was intercepted without incident and described the action as enforcement of Washington’s broader maritime blockade against sanctioned vessels. The tanker was reportedly carrying Venezuelan crude oil bound for China. (PC: X)
