The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 7th, 2026: U.S. Military Intercepts Sanctioned Russian Oil Ships & Iran Protesters Seize The Streets
07 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's Wednesday, the 7th of January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.
Chapter 2: What actions did the U.S. military take regarding sanctioned Russian oil tankers?
First up, the U.S. military seizes two sanctioned oil tankers, one in the North Atlantic, one in the Caribbean, including a Russian vessel that spent weeks trying to evade enforcement tied to Venezuelan oil shipments. Later in the show, we'll return to our coverage of Iran, where demonstrations continue to spread nationwide, casualties rise, and Tehran signals that it may be losing its grip.
But first, our afternoon spotlight.
Chapter 3: How did the U.S. military track and seize the Bella One tanker?
In a matter of hours, US forces have seized two sanctioned tankers tied to Venezuela's crude oil. operating thousands of miles apart, one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean, in a sign that Washington's oil blockade now reaches far beyond Caracas' backyard. We'll start with a tanker called the Bella One, which has been playing a game of cat and mouse with U.S.
authorities for weeks now, evading the Coast Guard, changing its flag, and changing and repainting its name on the hull — that should do it — as well as painting a Russian flag on the side.
Chapter 4: What were the implications of the U.S. seizure of the Marinara tanker?
But the game came to an abrupt end today when the Bella 1, newly renamed the Marinera, was boarded by U.S. authorities under a federal court warrant for sanctions violations. U.S. officials say the ship is part of Russia's shadow fleet of tankers tied to Venezuela's illicit oil trade.
As we've covered here on the PDB, Russia's shadow fleet is made up of vessels that routinely change names and flags and ownership structures to obscure their movements and evade enforcement. U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure in a post on X, noting that its tanker was intercepted in international waters after extensive tracking.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth amplified the message in a post of his own, writing that the blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil "...remains in full effect anywhere in the world." And for a moment, their pursuit even threatened to spill into something potentially larger.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia dispatched a submarine and other naval vessels to escort the clandestine, well, not so clandestine tanker. Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report, telling Reuters that Russian military assets were in the general vicinity during the operation, but there were no indications of any confrontation between U.S.
and Russian forces. So to put it plainly, the Russians watched the U.S. 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.
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Chapter 5: What is the current situation of protests in Iran?
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.
Chapter 6: How are Iranian authorities responding to the ongoing protests?
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.
Chapter 7: What are the reported casualties and human rights concerns in Iran?
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Chapter 8: How is the Iranian government addressing the economic pressures during protests?
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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Turning now to Iran, where the street protests against the regime have entered their 11th day. And according to human rights groups, this may be the largest day of unrest so far. Iranian opposition groups are claiming that protesters have effectively taken control of two cities in western Iran, Abdanan and Malakshahi.
According to those reports, crowds poured into the streets celebrating and chanting, quote, a death to Khamenei, while local security forces, were forced to retreat. Those claims come from the National Council of Resistance of Iran and social media posts circulating among activists. They have not been independently verified.
And of course, Iranian state media is denying that protesters seized control of these cities. But whether or not those specific claims hold up, the unrest is becoming increasingly difficult for the regime to dismiss. Iran is now facing nationwide protests on a scale that's not been seen in years.
Rights groups say protests have been documented in as many as 285 locations, spanning 92 cities across 27 of Iran's 31 provinces. What began as localized demonstrations have evolved into a national movement. and the human cost for the protesters is rising. The human rights activist's news agency reports that at least 36 people have died since the 28th of December.
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