Incident in November newest reported occasion of Trump administration’s more and more aggressive maritime techniques.
Printed On 12 Dec 2025
United States forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran final month, based on the Wall Avenue Journal, within the newest reported occasion of more and more aggressive maritime techniques by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Unnamed officers informed the newspaper that US army personnel boarded the ship a number of hundred miles from Sri Lanka, based on the report on Friday. It was the primary time in a number of years US forces had intercepted cargo travelling from China to Iran, based on the newspaper.
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The operation occurred in November, weeks earlier than US forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela earlier this week, citing sanctions violations. It was one other motion Washington has not taken in years.
US Indo-Pacific Command didn’t instantly affirm the report. An official informed the newspaper that they seized materials “doubtlessly helpful for Iran’s typical weapons”. Nevertheless, the official famous the seized gadgets have been dual-use, and will have each army and civilian functions.
Officers stated the ship was allowed to proceed following the interdiction, which concerned particular operation forces.
Iran stays beneath heavy US sanctions. Neither Iran nor China instantly responded to the report, though Beijing, a key buying and selling accomplice with Tehran, has commonly known as the US sanctions unlawful.
Earlier within the day, Chinese language International Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the seizure of the oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, which was dropped at a port in Texas on Friday.
The motion got here amid a wider army stress marketing campaign towards Venezuela, which Caracas has charged is aimed toward toppling the federal government of chief Nicolas Maduro.
Beijing “opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that haven’t any foundation in worldwide regulation or authorisation of the UN Safety Council, and the abuse of sanctions”, Guo stated.
White Home spokesperson Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Thursday the Trump administration wouldn’t rule out future seizures of vessels close to Venezuela.
