Russian oil tanker, the Grinch, intercepted as US, allies escalate sanctions crackdown

The French navy intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of operating as part of Moscow’s shadow fleet, a network of falsely-flagged vessels used to export oil and avoid Western sanctions, according to reports.

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that French forces had boarded and searched the tanker, which is subject to international sanctions. 

The ship was reportedly sailing from Murmansk, in northern Russia, under the Comoros flag.

Writing on X, Macron said the operation took place on the high seas in the Mediterranean with the support of several allied countries.

‘GHOST SHIPS’ FERRYING ILLICIT OIL HAVE SAILED INTO TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS

The French president added that the vessel had been diverted for further checks.

The tanker, identified as the Grinch, was intercepted between the southern coast of Spain and the northern coast of Morocco in the western Mediterranean, French maritime police said. 

The Associated Press reported the interception.

France and the U.K. gathered and shared intelligence on the vessel, according to French military officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

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The interception is the latest in a growing number of Russian-linked vessels stopped by U.S. and European authorities in recent months as Western powers intensify efforts to disrupt Russia’s oil exports.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, in early January, U.S. forces seized another sanctioned tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.

U.S. European Command (EUCOM) announced the seizure of the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea.

France’s Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said the team that boarded the Grinch Thursday had inspected the vessel and decided documents raised doubts about the regularity of the vessel’s flag.

US MILITARY SEIZES ANOTHER FUGITIVE OIL TANKER LINKED TO VENEZUELA

The tanker is being escorted by the French navy to an anchorage for additional verification.

The European Union has imposed 19 rounds of sanctions on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

Despite those measures, Russia has continued to export millions of barrels of oil, mainly to China and India and often at discounted prices.

What has become known as a “shadow fleet” consists of hundreds of old and poorly regulated tankers that change names, ownership structures and flags to avoid detection and sanctions.

Maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimates the global shadow fleet at about 1,400 tankers, many of which are subject to U.S., British or European sanctions, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized European countries for not doing more to stop the transport of Russian oil using sanctioned vessels and which he says helps fund the war in Ukraine.

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“Why can [U.S. President Donald Trump] stop tankers of the ‘shadow fleet’ and seize their oil, while Europe can’t?” Zelensky asked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday.

“Russian oil is transported right along the European coast. This oil funds the war against Ukraine. This oil helps destabilize Europe.”

ISIS fighters still at large after Syrian prison break, contributing to volatile security situation

Some ISIS prisoners who escaped from a prison in northeastern Syria Jan. 19 are still unaccounted for after the ensuing chaos made tracking some of the fighters “impossible,” an analyst familiar with the situation claimed.

And as U.S. forces move to transfer thousands of male militants from the region to Iraq, the wives of ISIS fighters have been left behind in what he described as “fragile” detention camps.

“Damascus claims most of the escapees were recaptured, but some remain at large,” Syria analyst Nanar Hawach told Fox News Digital.

“The exact number unaccounted for is unclear because the chaos made tracking them all impossible,” said Hawach of the International Crisis Group.

IRAN EXPANDS IT ‘SHADOW EMPIRE’ ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AS TRUMP PULLS TROOPS FROM IRAQ, SYRIA

“The U.S. transfer to Iraq covers male detainees from prisons, but those detained in camps remain in Syria under Damascus’ control.”

The instability also came ahead of reports that the U.S. is considering a complete withdrawal of troops from Syria. 

Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute, told the Wall Street Journal Thursday that “the main thing that has been holding the U.S. force presence in Syria over the last year is the detention facilities and the camps.”

U.S. Central Command confirmed Jan. 21 that it had begun transferring ISIS prisoners to Iraqi-controlled centers as an emergency effort to prevent a resurgence of the terror group amid deteriorating security conditions.

The move followed the prison escape at a detention center in Hasakah province during clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Militants broke out during the unrest, and while many were later recaptured, the full scope of the escape remains unclear.

U.S. forces have already transported roughly 150 ISIS fighters from a detention center in Hasakah to secure locations in Iraq, according to CENTCOM, which said as many as 7,000 detainees could be transferred.

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An Iraqi intelligence general told The Associated Press Jan. 21 that Iraqi authorities received an initial batch of 144 detainees, with additional transfers planned by aircraft.

“The U.S. is facilitating transfers to Iraqi custody as an emergency measure because of the unstable security situation in northeast Syria,” Hawach said, noting that Iraq’s secure prisons “reduce the risk of further mass breakouts.”

“Human rights organizations have raised concerns about trial procedures in Iraq, but the priority right now is preventing escapes, and Iraq can deliver that.”

Hawach emphasized that the transfers apply only to male fighters held in prisons, not to women and children confined in camps such as the notorious al-Hawl.

TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS

Al-Hawl camp has held tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and children since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.

“Women and children are held in camps, not prisons, and are processed differently than male fighters,” Hawach said.

“The long-term solution for women and children is repatriation to their home countries, but most governments have been reluctant.

“Some women are ideologically committed; some are not. Distinguishing between them requires case-by-case assessments that haven’t happened at scale.” 

Still, Hawach warned, the deeper problem remains unresolved.

“The detention system was always fragile, always underfunded, always a temporary solution waiting for permanent answers,” he said.

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“The transfers to Iraq address the immediate crisis but don’t solve the underlying problem of what to do with this population long-term.”

U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said this week that “the original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.”

Inside Trump’s Iran warning — and the unexpected pause that followed

On Jan. 13, President Donald Trump warned Iran and told protesters that “help is on its way,” setting expectations of U.S. action. Days later, with no strikes carried out, the pause has become the central question in Washington.

U.S. and regional security experts say the decision was driven by caution, not retreat. A strike risked retaliation against U.S. forces and Israel. 

It also raised questions about who would follow Iran’s leadership and whether intervention would undercut the protest movement Trump appeared to encourage.

Fox News Digital has learned from background conversations with U.S. officials that internal debates over Iran’s post-regime leadership and the lack of a clear successor factored into deliberations over a potential strike. Officials grappled not only with how to hit Iran, but with who would come next.

IRAN STRIKES COULD SIGNAL LIMITS OF BEIJING, MOSCOW’S POWER AS US FLEXES STRENGTH

Trump raised that uncertainty Jan. 15 when he publicly questioned whether Reza Pahlavi, the Western-backed son of Iran’s ousted shah, could realistically govern after more than four decades in exile. Pahlavi has not been to Iran since his family was forced out during the 1979 revolution.

“He seems very nice, but I don’t know how he’d play within his own country,” Trump told Reuters. 

But Trump had insisted to protesters Jan. 13: “KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!… HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”

Later, he said Iran had agreed to halt its executions, dialing back U.S. tensions with the Islamic Republic.

To be sure, intervention could still come once U.S. assets reach the Middle East. A U.S. aircraft carrier is currently steaming toward the Gulf, having departed the Indo-Pacific Jan. 15 as the threat of conflict reached a fever pitch. 

The pause has nonetheless drawn backlash, as critics argue Trump’s promise that “help is on the way” may have raised expectations or emboldened protesters.

One Iranian citizen who witnessed violence during demonstrations said protesters are “still waiting on United States special forces to act in Iran.” 

“They can come to help us. We can finish the job on the ground,” the Iranian, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said. 

“‘Go forward, help is coming,’ Trump said. The people went forward. They were killed. No help came,” one user wrote on X. 

“Iranian patriots have now waited more than 160 hours for Trump’s promise that ‘HELP IS ON ITS WAY,’” wrote another.

Iran state TV said more than 3,117 people have been killed in recent demonstrations. Other human rights groups place the estimate much higher.

Protests have since subsided from their peak earlier in January due to a brutal crackdown, but anti-regime advocates are “waiting at home for that special moment,” the Iranian said. 

But the leadership question remains unresolved. 

“The big question then becomes what’s the objective — not just militarily, but what’s the political objective in Iran,” said Seth Jones, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Without a clear endgame, he warned, military pressure can create instability without producing a viable outcome.

Others warned that U.S. intervention could have backfired against the protest movement itself. 

“Anything that associates the U.S. with the protesters hurts the protesters,” said Rosemary Kelanic of Defense Priorities, arguing that overt American involvement would make it easier for Tehran to portray demonstrations as foreign-backed and justify a harsher crackdown.

Concerns that the pause damaged U.S. credibility, she added, are overstated. 

“Trump has shown several times quite recently his willingness to use U.S. military force in quite spectacular ways.”

Even limited strikes carried trade-offs. 

“If kinetic, the administration must be wary to not dampen protester morale,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

Civilian casualties or poorly selected targets, he said, could push Iranians “into survival mode” rather than keep them in the streets. Subtler forms of pressure may also fall short. 

“Something too covert, such as in the cyber domain alone, might not be ‘seen’ by protesters,” he said.

IRAN POSES A FAR MORE DANGEROUS MILITARY TEST FOR THE US THAN VENEZUELA, EXPERTS WARN

Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli military intelligence official who led the Iran desk, said Tehran already has used the pause to its advantage, but only tactically. 

“The regime had two major achievements: cracking down (on) the demonstrations with great use of violence, and postponing the American attack,” he said. “These wins are tactical, but they are very limited.”

Citrinowicz also pushed back on the idea that airstrikes would have reignited protests.

 “Even if you bomb today, it’s not going to push people into the streets,” he said, warning that fear would likely dominate if the regime felt its survival was at stake.

Iranian–American human rights advocates echoed concerns about intervention while stressing that restraint does not have to mean silence. 

“U.S. policy should not require a military intervention in Iran,” said Majid Sadeghpour, political director of the Organization of Iranian American Communities. “Our demand from policymakers in the West is provisional moral and political support — recognition of the Iranian people’s fight to change the regime.”

Decades of foreign interference in the Middle East have left many Iranians wary of U.S. military action, even among those who oppose the government.

“Nothing would replace people walking in the streets of Iran and confronting the IRGC.”

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Inside Iran, authorities have responded with a sweeping crackdown, according to human rights groups and media reports. In addition to killings, security forces have carried out mass arrests, used live ammunition in some areas, and imposed severe internet and connectivity restrictions to prevent protesters from organizing or broadcasting abuses. 

Iranian officials have blamed foreign influence for the unrest, a narrative experts say becomes easier to advance when U.S. leaders publicly hint at involvement.

Zelenskyy blasts global inaction on Iran, claims Europe stuck in ‘Greenland mode’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Thursday that global inaction toward Iran and other authoritarian regimes is fueling mounting security threats, accusing Europe of relying on symbolism instead of real power at a moment of escalating danger.

“Europe still feels more like geography, history, tradition — not a real political force, not a great power,” he said during an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, just after meeting with President Donald Trump on negotiations over the war with Russia. Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia Thursday.

Zelenskyy criticized leaders who talk about standing strong while waiting for others to define the limits.

“Many say, ‘We must stand strong,’ but they want someone else to tell them how long they need to stand strong — preferably until the next election,” Zelenskyy said.

ZELENSKYY HOLDING UP RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE PROCESS, TRUMP SAYS

Without decisive action, he warned, Europe will remain reactive.

“If Europe’s actions don’t scare bad actors, Europe will always be reacting, always catching up,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader also criticized global inaction in Iran amid a mass protest movement against its regime.

‘OUR POSITION IS CLEAR:’ ZELENSKYY AND EU DISMISS CEDING UKRAINIAN LAND TO RUSSIA

“As for Iran, everyone is waiting to see what America will do,” Zelenskyy said. “And Europe offers almost nothing.”

He warned that refusing to support people fighting for freedom carries long-term consequences, arguing that Western delay repeatedly empowers hostile regimes.

“When you refuse to help people fighting for freedom, the consequences always come back — and they are always negative,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy pointed to Belarus as a warning of what happens when Europe fails to act early. After mass protests against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020, Western governments declined to intervene decisively. 

Russia later deployed missiles to Belarusian territory, now within range of major European capitals.

“No one helped their people,” Zelenskyy said. “Now Russian missiles are deployed in Belarus.”

He said the continent “still remains in Greenland mode,” pointing to symbolic military gestures that fail to deter adversaries.

“If you send 30 or 40 soldiers to Greenland, what message does that send — to Russia, to China, and even to Denmark?” Zelenskyy asked. “Forty soldiers will not protect anything.”

Zelenskyy said European leaders privately question whether NATO, and especially the United States, would respond decisively if Russia attacked a NATO member state such as Poland.

“To believe that the United States will act — that it will not stand aside and will help,” he said. “But what if it doesn’t? This question is everywhere in the minds of European leaders.”

ZELENSKYY CLAIMS TRUMP SAID US WILL CONSIDER GIVING UKRAINE DECADES OF SECURITY GUARANTEES

Relying on faith rather than preparedness, he warned, is dangerous.

“Faith in a lucky turn of events cannot stop force,” Zelenskyy said.

He warned that Russia’s missile production depends on foreign components, even from those aiding Ukraine.

“Russia would not be able to build ballistic or cruise missiles without critical components from other countries,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s not only China. Russia gets components from companies in Europe, the United States and Taiwan.”

“How many are investing in stability around Taiwan to avoid war?” he asked. “But can Taiwanese companies stop building electronics for Russia’s war?”

“Europe says almost nothing. America says nothing. And Putin makes missiles.”

Cutting off those supply chains, he argued, would be more effective than relying solely on missile defenses.

“It would be cheaper and easier to stop the components than to keep intercepting missiles,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy concluded by framing Ukraine as Europe’s frontline defense, warning that European security is inseparable from Ukraine’s survival.

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“You need Ukraine’s independence too, because tomorrow you may have to defend your own way of life,” he said.

“You can’t build a new world order out of words,” Zelenskyy added. “Only actions build a real order.”

Yale hosts controversial speaker Trita Parsi accused of promoting Iranian regime interests

FIRST ON FOX: Trita Parsi, a controversial figure among the Iranian American community, will be speaking at an event hosted by the John Quincy Adams Society at Yale University on Thursday, sparking concerns as tensions in Iran continue to rise.

Shay Khatiri, a senior fellow at the Yorktown Institute, grew up in Northern Iran and spent time living in the nation’s capital of Tehran. Khatiri didn’t hold back when discussing his view on Parsi’s messaging, telling Fox News Digital the Yale chapter’s speaker faced accusations of lobbying for policies that benefitted the regime. 

“[Parsi] founded this group called the National Iranian American Council, NIAC,” Khatiri explained. “That was really a lobbying group to promote lifting sanctions and what would eventually become the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the Iran nuclear deal that President Obama reached with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

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“There has been huge suspicion among the Iranian diaspora and broader foreign policy community in Washington, D.C., that Parsi and his group have been lobbying on behalf of unofficially lobbying and promoting the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khatiri told Fox.

The Yorktown institute fellow went on to explain that he believes the “talking points” used by Parsi are filled with disinformation. 

“[Parsi says that] the protesters are really not that peaceful, and they are violent, and he omits the context that it’s always the Islamic Republic that initiates violence and, defensively, protesters respond to it, or that the protests are really not that cohesive, that they lack a leadership, which is also not true,” Khatiri added. “The protesters have been chanting the name of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the exiled crown prince of Iran.”

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The Quincy Institute pushed back at the backlash, saying the event is an opportunity for “students to come inside and join the conversation.” 

“We’re talking about a single seminar about the Monroe Doctrine and, more generally, about the principles of Realism and Restraint,” Jessica Rosenblum, director of communications at Quincy Institute, told Fox News Digital.

Parsi is co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute.

“It is a shame that, rather than engaging in substantive conversations about topics at the forefront of the news, a handful of protesters are resorting to the same cancel culture tactics that most of us had hoped would no longer plague university campuses.”

IRAN WILL RETALIATE ‘WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE’ IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS

The nation of Iran has been under duress since December when protesters rose up against the Iranian regime as the Middle Eastern country faces economic disparity.

The protests turned deadly as reports show Iranian security forces using lethal force against the protesters.

Drawing on accounts from doctors operating in the region, The Sunday Times reports that a reviewed assessment estimates Iranian security forces have killed at least 16,500 protesters and injured more than 330,000.

“Parsi has been saying that if you want to have a new leadership in Iran, there are people within the system you can work with,” Khatiri explained. “Which is, according to the Iranian diaspora and the Iranian protesters, an unacceptable outcome.”

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Yale University did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, but the university has also faced criticism over a left-leaning bias that reports and several studies indicate at the Ivy League university.

A January report from Yale Daily News that analyzed the political donations of professors showed that of the 1,099 donations made by professors to federal political campaigns and partisan groups, not one of the donations was made to a Republican. 

Separately, a study by the Buckley Institute found that 27 of the 43 undergraduate departments at the Ivy League school had no Republican faculty members.

“From Obama’s weakness and giveaway of an Iran deal to Biden’s repeated capitulations to the Mullahs, Democrats have repeatedly failed to hold Tehran terror accountable or even stand up for the millions of Iranians fighting for their freedom,” Congressman Darrell Issa told Fox News Digital. 

“This isn’t a close call,” Issa added.

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Last week, President Donald Trump said “it’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” and has defended the protests that serve to end the regime.

Fox News Digital reached out to the John Quincy Adams Society at Yale University and Parsi but did not receive responses.