US forces intercepted a cargo ship traveling from China to Iran in November, marking a rare show of maritime force under the Trump administration.

The seizure, reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes amid heightened US scrutiny of shipments potentially violating sanctions.

Unnamed officials told the Wall Street Journal that US military personnel boarded the vessel several hundred miles from Sri Lanka. This marked the first interception of cargo traveling from China to Iran by US forces in several years.

Officials said the ship carried items “potentially useful for Iran’s conventional weapons.” However, the material was described as dual-use, meaning it could serve both civilian and military purposes.

After the special operations interdiction, the cargo ship was allowed to continue its journey toward Iran. The operation reflects ongoing US enforcement of sanctions against Tehran.

Context and related operations

Weeks after the China-Iran seizure, US forces captured an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, citing sanctions violations. The Trump administration has increasingly deployed maritime measures against shipments that could bypass sanctions.

China has condemned recent US actions, including the Venezuela oil tanker seizure. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing opposes “unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction” and called the measures illegal under international law.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration would not rule out future seizures of vessels near Venezuela.