U.S commandos boarded a cargo vessel sailing from China to Iran in November 2025, per a report from the Wall Street Journal.

An official stated that the material confiscated was meant for Iran’s weapons program; however, on the contrary, reports also state that the cargo could have both military and civilian use.

This incident highlighted the aggressive maritime strategies and manoeuvres being adopted by the United States, a stance many have criticised.

Officials, on condition of anonymity, revealed that U.S military personnel boarded the vessel many hundreds of miles from Sri Lanka.

This is the first time in several years that the U.S has confiscated cargo going from China to Tehran.

The operation, which has heightened the tensions between the three parties, took place weeks before the U.S confiscated an oil tanker off Venezuela, citing sanctions violations.

U.S Indo-Pacific Command did not confirm the report. Iran and China also did not immediately respond to the report, though Beijing, a major trade partner of Tehran, has called U.S sanctions against Iran baseless and illegal.

The ship was allowed to continue its journey after the cargo was seized.

Spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, condemned the seizure of the oil tanker, which happened earlier. The tanker was taken to a port in Texas on Friday.