Mike Baker

seizure go down while sitting idly by.

It's not clear yet if there were discussions held between U.S.

and Russian authorities prior to the seizure.

According to ship tracking data, the marinara was located off the west coast of Scotland,

Around the same time, US and allied military aircraft were observed operating in the area.

Flight records show multiple US Navy and Air Force air assets conducting patrols, including maritime surveillance aircraft and refueling tankers.

The United Kingdom later confirmed its support of the US seizure.

British Defense Secretary John Healey said it was Royal Air Force aircraft that assisted American forces and framed the operation as part of a broader international effort to crack down on sanctions evasion.

He described the Venezuelan-linked tanker as part of a Russian-Iranian network fueling instability from the Middle East to the Ukraine.

Only after the operation was concluded did Moscow launch into its usual rhetoric.

Russian officials accused the US of violating maritime law, and a senior Kremlin lawmaker went even further, branding the seizure as outright piracy.

Now, the Marinara wasn't the only seizure of the day.

Hours after U.S.

forces moved to seize the tanker in the North Atlantic, another oil tanker, the Sophia, was intercepted in the Caribbean.

The Department of War, or Department of Defense as previously known, said the Sophia was seized without incident in international waters and is now being escorted to the U.S.

by the Coast Guard for final disposition.

Unlike the marinara, which flew a Russian flag, the Sofia operated without nationality altogether, another hallmark of shadow fleet operations, designed, of course, to blur responsibility and accountability.

Coming up next, widespread protests continue in Iran for an 11th straight day as authorities respond with tear gas, fast-tracked trials, and warnings of zero leniency for demonstrators.

I'll be right back.

Hey, Mike Baker here.