The US military tracked a sanctioned oil tanker all the way from Venezuela to the Indian Ocean, where it finally intercepted the vessel it had been tracking, ending a weeks-long pursuit that began in the Caribbean Sea. Hegseth confirmed on Monday that the military boarded the tanker named Aquila II without any conflict. The US said the ship had left Venezuelan waters and violated the US "isolation order" for sanctioned vessels, attempting to transport crude oil, with its course eventually extending from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean before being intercepted by US forces. This is the eighth seizure action under the US "Spear of the South" operation against so-called "shadow fleets," with multiple sanctioned oil tankers having been tracked, boarded, or seized, as part of the Trump administration's efforts to curb Venezuela's oil exports and cut off its lifeline. The US said it would continue to pursue ships attempting to evade sanctions, with naval forces covering global waters. Venezuela and its allies have criticized these actions as violations of international law, calling them "piracy."
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Original: toutiao.com/article/1856721145749514/
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