US special forces have boarded a ship suspected of transporting military material from China to Iran in the Indian Ocean. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, the operation was carried out last month and the material was seized.
The blitz off the coast of Sri Lanka
The ship was several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka when it was boarded. Once the military material was unloaded, it continued along its route.
A secret Pentagon operation
The United States was monitoring the shipment and the raid was part of a Pentagon operation to disrupt clandestine military supplies to Iran.
It is the first time in recent years that we have learned of the interception of a shipment of Chinese origin bound for Iran by US forces.
No details on the ship and owner
The name of the vessel and its owner could not be determined, and the Indo-Pacific Command, which conducted the operation, declined to comment.
Dual-use components intended for the missile program
The cargo consisted of dual-use components, with both civilian and military applications for conventional weapons, and was destroyed. In particular, the cargo was destined for Iranian companies specialized in the supply of components for the missile program.