Incident in November newest reported occasion of Trump administration’s more and more aggressive maritime ways.
Revealed On 12 Dec 2025
United States forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran final month, in accordance with the Wall Avenue Journal, within the newest reported occasion of more and more aggressive maritime ways by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Unnamed officers instructed the newspaper that US army personnel boarded the ship a number of hundred miles from Sri Lanka, in accordance with 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 accordance with the newspaper.
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The operation befell 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 instructed the newspaper that they seized materials “probably helpful for Iran’s typical weapons”. Nonetheless, the official famous the seized gadgets have been dual-use, and will have each army and civilian functions.
Officers mentioned 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 accomplice with Tehran, has often referred to 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 dropped at a port in Texas on Friday.
The motion got here amid a wider army stress marketing campaign in opposition to 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 don’t have any foundation in worldwide legislation or authorisation of the UN Safety Council, and the abuse of sanctions”, Guo mentioned.
White Home spokesperson Karoline Leavitt instructed reporters on Thursday the Trump administration wouldn’t rule out future seizures of vessels close to Venezuela.
