Incident in November newest reported occasion of Trump administration’s more and more aggressive maritime techniques.
Revealed On 12 Dec 2025
United States forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran final month, in response to the Wall Road Journal, within the newest reported occasion of more and more aggressive maritime techniques by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Unnamed officers advised the newspaper that US navy personnel boarded the ship a number of hundred miles from Sri Lanka, in response to the report on Friday. It was the primary time in a number of years US forces had intercepted cargo travelling from China to Iran, in response to the newspaper.
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The operation happened 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 advised the newspaper that they seized materials “doubtlessly helpful for Iran’s typical weapons”. Nevertheless, the official famous the seized objects had been dual-use, and will have each navy and civilian purposes.
Officers stated the ship was allowed to proceed following the interdiction, which concerned particular operation forces.
Iran stays below heavy US sanctions. Neither Iran nor China instantly responded to the report, though Beijing, a key buying and selling companion with Tehran, has recurrently known as the US sanctions unlawful.
Earlier within the day, Chinese language Overseas Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the seizure of the oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, which was delivered to a port in Texas on Friday.
The motion got here amid a wider navy strain marketing campaign in opposition to Venezuela, which Caracas has charged is geared toward toppling the federal government of chief Nicolas Maduro.
Beijing “opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that don’t have any foundation in worldwide legislation or authorisation of the UN Safety Council, and the abuse of sanctions”, Guo stated.
White Home spokesperson Karoline Leavitt advised reporters on Thursday the Trump administration wouldn’t rule out future seizures of vessels close to Venezuela.
