The United States is targeting sanctioned oil tankers to cut off the finances of Russia and other hostile nations.
PublishedFebruary 9, 2026 10:19 AM EST•UpdatedFebruary 9, 2026 10:19 AM EST
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The United States military continues to put in work when it comes to seizing sanctioned oil vessels.
President Donald Trump, the Department of War and the Department of State have made targeting sanctioned oil tankers a top priority.
The reason why is shockingly simple. If countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela can’t move sanctioned oil, then they can’t make money. It’s a way to hurt our enemies without a direct confrontation.
Well, buckle up because we have another outstanding video.
President Donald Trump has made targeting sanctioned oil tankers a top priority during his second term. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
U.S. commandos storm sanctioned oil tanker linked to Russia.
The Department of War released a video Monday morning of unidentified commandos storming the sanctioned oil tanker Aquila II. The tanker has been tied to Russia’s shadow fleet and of moving Venezuelan oil.
The DoW tweeted the following, in part, when announcing the seizure:
“Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility. 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. 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 footage also features a sniper with what looks like an SR-25 aimed at the ship as the assault team advances.
Give it a watch below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
You can check out some awesome photos of the operation in the tweet below.
It’s always great to watch America and our great military dominate. It will never get old watching guys dropping down the rope from the helicopter.
Interesting, a lot of previous ship seizures have made it clear the Coast Guard was conducting the assaults. This announcement, notably, didn’t specify the unit responsible. That makes me think it might be SEAL Team 6, but that’s simply speculation on my part.
Either way, we continue to remind the world that nobody can come close to the capabilities of the United States.
The United States continues to prove it’s an elite fighting force. (Credit: Getty Images Creatives)
What do you think of the footage released by the military? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.