US forces raided ship headed to Iran from China in Indian Ocean: WSJ
Cargo consisted of components potentially useful for Iran's conventional weapons, says US official
December 13, 2025
WASHINGTON: A US special operations team in the Indian Ocean raided a ship headed to Iran from China last month and seized military-related articles, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials.
The cargo consisted of components potentially useful for Iran's conventional weapons, one official said, adding the shipment had been destroyed.
US forces boarded the ship several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to the newspaper, which added the vessel was later allowed to proceed.
The operation took place in November, weeks before the US forces seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, citing sanctions violations.
Trump, who has been pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down, had announced earlier this week: “We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever, actually, and other things are happening.”
The officials said the ship was allowed to proceed following the raid, which involved special operation forces.
Neither Iran nor China immediately responded to the report.
