American media outlets reported that US special forces intercepted a cargo ship last month in the Indian Ocean while it was traveling from China to Iran, seizing a shipment described as having “potential military applications.”
The reports describe the unprecedented maritime operation as part of Washington’s efforts to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its weapons capabilities.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, December 11, citing an American source, that a US special operations team boarded the vessel several hundred kilometers off the coast of Sri Lanka.
A US official, speaking anonymously to The New York Times on Saturday, December 12, said the seized shipment included “dual-use” components that could be used for civilian purposes as well as for the production of conventional weapons.