US military forces have boarded a crude oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after pursuing it from the Caribbean, US Department of War said.
The Department of War claimed the vessel was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established “quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
“Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding,” the department wrote on X.
The operation was completed “without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.”
The Department of War tracked and hunted the vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.
“It ran, and we followed.”
“When the Department of War says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland – even in oceans halfway around the world.”
Military officials described the interdiction as part of a broader effort to enforce sanctions and prevent sanctioned oil from moving through global markets.
“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,” a statement issued via social media platform X read.
The US operation follows similar enforcement actions elsewhere aimed at curbing sanctioned oil trade.
US officials said the operation underscored Washington’s intent to enforce sanctions and disrupt maritime activity linked to sanctioned states and actors.
