US seizes Russian-flagged tanker in Atlantic

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Footage of the USCGC Munro (WMSL-755), a Legend-class cutter with the U.S. Coast Guard, alongside the Russian-flagged Iranian-linked oil tanker, Marinera, during this morning’s operation to board and seize the vessel in the Northern Atlantic, following a 17-day chase in the North Atlantic, accusing it of breaking American sanctions and shipping Iranian oil. The Marinera, formerly the Bella 1, was intercepted in the North Atlantic by US forces after they attempted to board it in the Caribbean last month. The White House said the ship was "deemed stateless after flying a false flag", but Russia has said that the vessel had been granted "temporary permission to sail under the State Flag of the Russian Federation" on Christmas Eve. "No state has the right to use force against vessels properly registered in other countries' jurisdictions," the Russian transport ministry said after the seizure. UK forces supported the US operation, but they were not involved in boarding the vessel, UK Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs.