Macron says French Navy boards oil tanker from Russia, vessel diverted

PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday on social media that the French Navy had boarded an oil tanker from Russia and then diverted the vessel.

"This morning, the French Navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag," Macron said on his X account.

He said that the operation took place on the high seas in the Mediterranean, and that the action was conducted "in strict compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."

Macron added that a judicial investigation has been opened and that the oil tanker has been diverted.