The US military said it intercepted and boarded the Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, accusing the vessel of defying Washington’s blockade on sanctioned Venezuela‑linked tankers
US military forces boarded a crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, accusing the vessel of violating Washington’s blockade on sanctioned ships linked to Venezuela
“Overnight, US military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
When the @DeptofWar says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world.
Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the… pic.twitter.com/kYVAQC5io9
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) February 9, 2026
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“The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed. The Department of War tracked and hunted this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean,” he added.
He said no other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain.
“By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us. The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies the ability to defy American power in the global maritime domain,” he said.
In a separate statement, Pentagon on Monday said US forces boarded and seized an oil tanker in the Indian Ocea