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The United States is turning up the heat abroad and doing it on two very different fronts at the same time.
In the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. forces are moving to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker linked to Venezuela after a tense, two-week chase that stretched across international waters. The operation took place near Iceland, with U.S. officials saying Russian military vessels, including a submarine, were in the area.
#BREAKING Despite Russia deploying a submarine to protect the tanker Bella 1 in the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. airborne forces began helicopter landings on the tanker minutes ago. An operation is currently underway to seize the tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet.
— Visioner (@visionergeo) January 7, 2026
See… pic.twitter.com/RllpYGVPXU
According to U.S. officials, the tanker had ignored earlier attempts by the Coast Guard to stop and board it, slipping through what Washington calls a maritime blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan oil ships. The vessel, now known as Marinera, had recently switched to a Russian flag.
NBC News reported late Wednesday that U.S. forces have now secured the tanker and that American law enforcement officers are on board, though an official confirmation has yet to be issued.
If confirmed, the move would be highly unusual and risky. It would be one of the first times in years that the United States has attempted to seize a Russian-flagged vessel, raising the stakes with both Moscow and Caracas.
The tanker incident comes just days after U.S. special forces carried out a dramatic raid in Venezuela, arresting President Nicolás Maduro and flying him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. Venezuelan officials have called the operation an illegal kidnapping, accusing Washington of trying to seize control of the country’s vast oil wealth.
Meanwhile, while tensions are rising at sea, they are also flaring in the Arctic.
The White House confirmed this week that President Donald Trump is actively considering ways for the United States to acquire Greenland, including, if necessary, using military force. Trump has argued that Greenland is critical to U.S. national security and says Denmark, which oversees the territory, cannot protect it on its own.
“We need Greenland,” Trump said recently. “One way or the other.”
That language has set off alarm bells across Europe. Denmark has firmly rejected the idea, while Greenland’s leaders have requested urgent talks with U.S. officials. Several European countries issued a joint statement stressing that Greenland belongs to its people and warning against pressure or force.
Even NATO has weighed in. The alliance’s leadership warned that a U.S. takeover of Greenland could effectively end NATO, a stunning statement given that Denmark is a founding member of the alliance.
The push has also drawn criticism inside the United States, including from members of Trump’s own party. Lawmakers have warned that threatening a NATO ally undermines the very alliances Washington relies on for security.
Taken together, the tanker seizure and the renewed push for Greenland point to a sharper, more confrontational U.S. foreign policy, one that mixes military power, economic pressure, and territorial ambition.
*Source: The Guardian, NBC
