US says it interdicted and boarded vessel defying Trump's quarantine

The U.S. Department of Defense intercepted and boarded the Veronica III after it attempted to evade President Trump’s quarantine, completing the operation without incident in the Indo-Pacific region.

Reuters

February 15, 2026

US says it interdicted and boarded vessel defying Trump's quarantine

U.S. forces board the vessel Veronica III, which tried to defy U.S. President Donald Trump's quarantine, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, in what the department said is the INDOPACOM area of responsibility, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on February 15, 2026

Department of War via X/Reuters

The U.S. Department of Defense conducted a maritime interdiction and boarding of the vessel Veronica III, which tried to defy President Donald Trump’s quarantine, the department said on Sunday.

"Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the Veronica III without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility," it said in a post on X.

"We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down," it added.

-Reporting by Preetika Parashuraman in Bengaluru; editing by Philippa Fletcher/Reuters