Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
Confirm that U.S. forces seized a sanctioned vessel linked to the IRGC that attempted to flee.
Available evidence indicates the statement accurately describes the seizure of the tanker Bella 1/Marinera. U.S. European Command, DHS officials, and multiple independent outlets report that U.S. forces operating in the North Atlantic (separate from the Caribbean operation against the tanker Sophia) seized the Bella 1/Marinera, a previously sanctioned tanker that had evaded a U.S. boarding attempt near Venezuela by refusing orders and fleeing across the Atlantic.
The U.S. Treasury’s June 10, 2024 OFAC designation identifies the Bella 1’s owning company as sanctioned for materially supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–Qods Force (IRGC‑QF), and explicitly identifies BELLA 1 as blocked property of that entity, establishing a sanctions and IRGC connection to the vessel. Reporting by PBS/AP, NBC News, TIME, USNI, and the BBC further documents that Bella 1/Marinera had been sanctioned, attempted to evade the Coast Guard and a U.S. blockade, and was ultimately seized by U.S. forces outside the Caribbean theater. Therefore, the claim that U.S. forces not deployed to the Caribbean seized a sanctioned boat tied to the IRGC that tried to flee is supported by primary and corroborating sources, and is accurate as stated.
Verdict: True. The vessel was sanctioned and legally tied via its sanctioned owner to the IRGC‑QF, it attempted to flee U.S. interdiction in the Caribbean and was then seized by U.S. forces operating in the North Atlantic rather than the Caribbean.