A senior Russian official has threatened a nuclear response after US forces captured a Russian-flagged tanker.
Aleksey Zhuravlyov, the first deputy head of the Russian State Duma's defence committee, has demanded military action against Washington in a chilling threat.
"We need to provide a military response: attack with torpedoes or sink a couple of American boats," he said.
Mr Zhuravlyov described the seizure as piracy and an assault on Russian sovereignty.
He said: "It is essentially the same as an attack on Russian territory, since the tanker was flying our national flag.
"There is no doubt that we must respond firmly and swiftly - our military doctrine even envisages the use of nuclear weapons in response to such an attack."
Aleksey Zhuravlyov (pictured) has demanded military action against Washington in a chilling threat
|FACEBOOK/ALEKSEY ZHURAVLYOV
American forces seized the Marinera tanker after a dramatic two-week pursuit across the Atlantic.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said: "When the President speaks, he means it. He's not messing around."
Mr Hegseth added: "We are an administration of action to advance our interests. And that is on full display."
The ageing vessel is now in Washington's custody in a fresh embarrassment for Vladimir Putin who only hours prior sent out a submarine to shadow it.
American commandos boarded the ship despite Russian efforts to protect it with a string of naval assets.
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PICTURED: A helicopter lands on the deck of the Marinera tanker - and American Commandos board it
|REUTERS
Mr Hegseth told reporters the military stands ready to continue such operations - while the US thanked British armed forces for their supporting role in the operation.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Tideforce and RAF surveillance aircraft assisted the capture approximately around 120 miles off Iceland's southern coast.
Defence Secretary John Healey praised the "skill and professionalism" of the British personnel involved.
"This action formed part of global efforts to crack down on sanctions busting," he said.
Mr Healey described the vessel as part of a "Russian-Iranian axis of sanctions evasion which is fuelling terrorism, conflict, and misery from the Middle East to Ukraine."
He said: "The US is the UK's closest defence and security partner. Today's seamlessly executed operation shows just how well this works in practice."
Defence Secretary John Healey hailed British forces' skill and professionalism in helping the US seize the tanker
| REUTERSMoscow claimed the tanker was carrying nothing - but Western officials feared the vessel may have been transporting secret military cargo such as missiles to Venezuela.
The ship originally escaped Mr Trump's blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers, which began on December 16.
During the chase, the crew renamed the vessel Marinera "Bella 1" and registered it in Russia's ship database.
They also painted a Russian flag on the hull in a failed bid to evade capture.
After the seizure, Mr Hegseth confirmed the blockade on Venezuelan oil remains in place - though since it began. more than a dozen vessels have fled the South American nation.
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