US forces reportedly boarded a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran last month, the Wall Street Journal said, marking another escalation in Washington’s increasingly assertive maritime operations under President Donald Trump.
Unnamed officials told the newspaper that US military personnel intercepted the vessel several hundred miles off Sri Lanka. It was the first reported instance in years of US forces stopping cargo moving from China to Iran.
The raid occurred in November, weeks before US forces seized an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast earlier this week for alleged sanctions violations—another action the US had not carried out for years.
US Indo-Pacific Command did not immediately confirm the report. According to one official, the materials seized were “potentially useful for Iran’s conventional weapons”, though they stressed the items were dual-use and could serve civilian purposes as well. After the inspection, the ship was allowed to continue its voyage.
Sanctions Pressure and International Responses
Iran remains heavily sanctioned by the United States, and neither Tehran nor Beijing issued an immediate response. China, a major economic partner of Iran, has repeatedly denounced US sanctions as unlawful.
Earlier on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the recent US seizure of the Venezuela-bound oil tanker, which was later taken to a port in Texas. The move came amid broader US pressure on Venezuela, which officials in Caracas say is aimed at removing President Nicolas Maduro.
Guo said China “opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction” without UN Security Council backing, criticising what Beijing views as Washington’s misuse of sanctions.
Future Actions Not Ruled Out
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that the Trump administration would not rule out future vessel seizures near Venezuela, signalling continued maritime enforcement efforts.