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Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Trump Oil Blockade Leaves Cuba Without Aviation Fuel, and That's a Good Thing
Cuba is having problems, and that's a good thing. The Trump administration has been cracking down on the communist island state, including fuel imports, as Cuba is a net fuel importer, and it's having an effect. On Monday, we learned that Cuba is about to run out of jet fuel on Tuesday and may be out for as long as a month.
This raises one question: Why not longer?
Cuba warned international airlines that jet fuel will no longer be available on the island beginning on Tuesday in the latest sign of fast-worsening conditions as the United States moves to cut off the communist-run nation's oil supply.
The shortfall is set to last from February 10 through March 11, according to a Notice to Aviation (NOTAM) published late on Sunday, and comes just two days after top officials said air travel would not be impacted by a fuel rationing plan announced on Friday.
Why March 11? We're putting the squeeze on Cuba, right? Why not June 11? Or March 11, 2027? Or 2029?
Or at least, until the communist government of Miguel Díaz-Canel and all of his commie buddies step down and allow free and fair elections. If they are afraid of the Cuban people Mussolini-ing them, let them bog off to Moscow. I feel certain President Putin will make them welcome.
The cause of this shortage is, of course, the slamming of an American door on Venezuelan exports to Cuba:
Cuba has historically relied on Venezuela to provide much of its jet fuel, but the Caribbean island nation has not received any crude or refined products from its top ally since mid-December, when the U.S. moved to block the South American nation's exports.
U.S. president Donald Trump has since vowed Cuba would receive no more oil from Venezuela and has threatened to slap tariffs on any nation sending fuel to Cuba, effectively cutting off the island's supply of aviation gas.
Good. Squeezing communist governments is always a good thing to do.
As of this writing, there hasn't been any comment from any of the airlines that fly into Cuba. (There are some?)
What's not clear is whether Cuba's military still has any supplies of aviation fuel, or fuel in general, but it's a safe bet they do. Cuba would certainly be able to launch their military aircraft in an attack on American warships in the Caribbean, an attack by their reported 5 MiG-29 and 11 MiG-23 fighters, if they can cobble up enough spare parts, bailing wire, duct tape, and earnest wishes to get any of them in the air to be immediately splashed by American F-35s or F/A-18 Super Hornets.
Cuba once was and could be again a prosperous place. But prosperity requires liberty, and that's one thing Cuba lacks. Putting any American boots on the beach wouldn't be a great idea, but it shouldn't be necessary. Venezuela's no longer a reliable source of logistics, Russia has problems of its own, and in any case is half a planet away. Cuba's "military" is a joke.
Cuba is one of the last unabashed communist regimes in the Western Hemisphere, and it is poised on the edge of an economic cliff. Maybe it's time to push them off.
US Boards 'Dark Fleet' Tanker Loaded With Venezuelan Oil in the Indian Ocean
Overnight, the U.S. Navy boarded the tanker "Aquila II" somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The tanker was carrying some 700,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude oil valued at between $31.5 and $35 million. The Department of War made the announcement early Monday morning.
When the @DeptofWar says quarantine, we mean it. Nothing will stop DoW from defending our Homeland — even in oceans halfway around the world.
Overnight, U.S. military forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding on the Aquila II without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.
The Aquila II was operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean. It ran, and we followed. The Department of War tracked and hunted this vessel from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean. No other nation on planet Earth has the capability to enforce its will through any domain. By land, air, or sea, our Armed Forces will find you and deliver justice. You will run out of fuel long before you will outrun us.
The Department of War will deny illicit actors and their proxies the ability to defy American power in the global maritime domain.
If anyone doubted the administration was serious about stamping out the market in bootleg oil, let that doubt be assuaged. You don't pursue a tanker from Venezuela to the Indian Ocean on a lark.
The Aquila II was spotted taking on oil in Venezuela at the time former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was plucked out of his bed for a surprise trip to New York.
At the time it was loading, the Aquila II was using an alias.
The Aquila II is a Suezmax tanker. These are the largest ships that can transit the Suez Canal; they are typically about 900 feet long and have a capacity of 120,000 to 200,000 deadweight tons; see 'Dark Fleet' Tanker Seized Near Venezuela Ran Sanctioned Oil to China, Says House Committee. They carry about 800,000 to more than 1,000,000 barrels. Aquila II is one of 73 such vessels in Russia's "dark fleet," or "shadow fleet," of unregistered, illegally operated tankers that transport Venezuelan and Iranian oil to China.
Aquila II was flying a Panamanian flag at the time of capture. There is no definitive information available about its owner or operator, but it appears to be owned by the Hong Kong-based Sunne Company. That "company is affiliated with an anonymous Chinese buyer who spent about $376 million to acquire a group of 13 tankers for the high-risk transportation of crude oil of Russian origin in the Atlantic Ocean." The Treasury Department sanctioned it in January 2025.
The Aquila II has been sanctioned for moving Russian oil several times.
- On January 10, 2025, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel as a property in which SUNNE CO LIMITED has an interest.
- Since September 12, 2025, the United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on the vessel.
- Since October 24, 2025, the EU has imposed sanctions on the vessel.
- In November 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.
- Since December 13, 2025, Switzerland has imposed sanctions on the vessel.
The tanker was apparently en route to China.
What we do not know at this point is whether the tanker has been seized. The press release refers to the operation as "a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding." I'm assuming that taking control of the tanker is part of the operation, but in the absence of a definitive statement, I don't want to get out over my skis on this.
President Trump's war on the "dark fleet/shadow fleet" is having an unexpected consequence. The tankers are congregating in what is portrayed as a fairly lawless area off the coast of Malaysia, seemingly waiting for further instructions or for the heat to die down.
This is also known as a "cluster of targets."
President Trump Threatens Blockade of Almost Completed Michigan-Ontario Bridge
Writing on a Truth Social post last evening, President Trump is threatening to block the U.S. side of a new bridge that links Detroit, Michigan to Ontario, Canada:
(Truth Social) – “As everyone knows, the Country of Canada has treated the United States very unfairly for decades. Now, things are turning around for the U.S.A., and FAST! But imagine, Canada is building a massive bridge between Ontario and Michigan. They own both the Canada and the United States side and, of course, built it with virtually no U.S. content. President Barack Hussein Obama stupidly gave them a waiver so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel.
Now, the Canadian Government expects me, as President of the United States, to PERMIT them to just “take advantage of America!” What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING! Ontario won’t even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves, they are absolutely prohibited from doing so and now, on top of everything else, Prime Minister Carney wants to make a deal with China — which will eat Canada alive. We’ll just get the leftovers! I don’t think so.
The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup. The Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable, putting our Farmers at great financial risk. I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve. We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY. With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” ~PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
The USMCA renegotiation plan likely plays a big part in this announcement. Don’t react, just watch.
DNI General Counsel Sets Record Straight – NSA Whistleblower Claims are Baseless
The General Counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has written a letter to whistleblower attorney Andrew Bakaj, outline the absurdity of the complaint. Additionally, as noted by the ODNI counsel, “The whistleblower’s rights do not extend to the attorney himself.”
[SOURCE]
The full letter outlining the details is below.
This should put to reset this insufferable IC/Lawfare targeting operation intended to generate an impeachment effort against DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
Factually, Andrew Bakaj has never seen the underlying intelligence report his client generated, nor the TSSCI material intercepted by them. Everything Bakaj has been leaking to the media is a construct of fabrications, falsehoods, smears and lies.
Both the NSA whistleblower and his attorney Andrew Bakaj were counting on the classified intelligence angle to this effort creating the illusion of something that is non-existent, a fabricated narrative that could gain traction. This is the same thing Bakaj did with former CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella in order to generate the first Trump impeachment effort. This time, against DNI Tulsi Gabbard, they are failing.
NSA “Whistleblower” Attorney Andrew Bakaj Appears on Video Making False Claim About “Underlying Intercept”
Allison Gill is an ally of the Lawfare network and recently sat down for an interview with NSA whistleblower attorney Andrew Bakaj; the same attorney used by former CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella.
This interview appears to be taking place after Bakaj revised his statements to The Guardian forcing them to rewrite the central claim of the leak he provided. The Guardian rewrote their article removing the key claim within the intelligence intercept that a foreign intelligence person was in contact with a person close to President Donald Trump.
The revision now states:
[…] “The Guardian reported earlier on Saturday that the phone conversation was between a person associated with foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump, based on Bakaj’s recollection of the complaint, which he confirmed over multiple calls. However, after publication, Bakaj said he misspoke.
He clarified his understanding of the complaint in a statement: “The NSA picked up a phone call between two members of foreign intelligence involving someone close to the Trump White House,” he said. “The NSA does not monitor individuals without a reason.” {citation}
This is not a small “revision,” it is essentially a rewrite of the central component to the whistleblower complaint. As it is now clarified two foreign people were intercepted talking about a person who knows Donald Trump. This could be any two foreign people gossiping or talking about anyone who is in the orbit of Donald Trump. That explains why intelligence analysts reviewed the NSA intercept, disregarded it and said it is hearsay likely just ‘gossip” according to New York Times reporting.
However, that said, Andrew Bakaj then appears on a podcast with Allison Gill during their effort to put traction to the claims, and Bakaj repeats the false statement. See video at 7:45:
…”So, in the spring of last year there was intelligence that was gathered by an agency that captured, um, activity that was being conducted by someone close to the President.”…
This is the same lie the whistleblower’s attorney Andrew Bakaj told The Guardian; that someone close to the president was a participant in the “activity.” This is demonstrably false through all other reporting.
The complaint alleges two foreign individuals were intercepted talking to each other about a person who Bakaj defines as close to the president, on the subject of Iran.
It could simply be two Germans or Israelis talking about Iran and wondering what Devin Nunes thinks about it.
The entire predicate claim is silly. Foreign officials and foreign intelligence officials talk to each other all the time about Trump and or his people.
This complaint is a fabrication, and the fact that the NSA Whistleblower included the TSSCI material in the complaint, literally outlining who was intercepted talking, is the reason why the complaint could not be shared or circulated without careful guidance by the DNI.
The whistleblower did this on purpose. If the whistleblower wanted to share his complaint with more people, he could have just avoided including the TSSCI aspect.
This is intelligence community Lawfare in action.
