Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that it helped US forces seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker northwest of Britain and Ireland. The Defence Secretary, John Healey, said the UK allowed US planes to use British bases for the operation. The Royal Air Force provided extra surveillance, and the navy helped refuel US ships during the capture. Healey justified the raid under international law, saying the ship was breaking Iran sanctions. The tanker, named Marinera, was previously called Bella 1 and had been sanctioned by the US Treasury since July 2024. The US accused it of carrying illegal cargo for a Hezbollah-owned company. Although not carrying oil this time, the tanker is linked to terrorism and crime. Healey said, “This ship, with a nefarious history, is part of a Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine.” The Bella 1 had reversed course near Venezuela after the US Coast Guard approached it, then was quickly renamed Marinera and placed under the Russian flag to avoid capture. However, US forces did not back down. Intelligence showed the ship's links to international terrorism and crime, including Hezbollah. US surveillance aircraft from RAF Mildenhall tracked the ship closely as it crossed the Atlantic. Several US transport flights to RAF Fairford suggested special forces and helicopters were prepared for the mission. Two US AC-130 gunships arrived at Mildenhall shortly before the capture. Data from TankerTrackers revealed that Bella 1 had moved millions of barrels of Iranian and Venezuelan crude oil to China between 2021 and 2025. The UK Ministry of Defence said the tanker was part of the shadowy global network funding illegal activities and terrorism.