US intercepts oil tanker in Indian Ocean that departed from Venezuela

The U.S. military reported Monday that it intercepted the oil tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. The Department of Defense said the tracking began when the ship departed from Venezuelan waters as part of a flotilla of sanctioned vessels.

The operation was confirmed by the War Department, which described it as a "maritime interdiction" conducted without incident in the area under the responsibility of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (IndoPaCom). The authorities did not specify whether the vessel was seized.

An operation without confirmation of seizure

The Pentagon has not clarified whether the Aquilla II will remain in U.S. custody, as has happened with other vessels in the Caribbean in recent months. The only official information indicates that the boarding was carried out without confrontation and that it was part of the application of quarantine to sanctioned vessels.

So far, U.S. personnel have seized at least seven tankers in the Caribbean that were linked to Venezuela and operating in violation of these restrictions.

Pentagon message on maritime dominance

Following the interdiction, the Pentagon posted a message on the social network X in which it stressed the U.S. military's ability to act in any environment.

"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," the post noted.

The message concluded with a direct warning, "You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us."

In another release, the Defense Department stated that it will deny illicit actors and their allies the ability to challenge U.S. power in the global maritime arena.