US troops stop a Chinese weapons shipment headed for Iran in the Indian Ocean: WSJ

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials, that a US special operations unit last month intercepted a commercial ship sailing from China to Iran in the Indian Ocean and confiscated goods connected to military use.

Several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, US Marines intercepted the ship in November 2025, according to the report. The container contained parts that might be utilized in Iran’s conventional weapons programs, according to an unidentified US official. The ship was allowed to continue its voyage, but the confiscated items were eventually burned.

The interception highlighted a larger enforcement effort against illegal marine exports and occurred weeks before US forces intercepted an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela for alleged sanctions violations.

Referencing the tanker seizure earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said it was one of the biggest such operations ever conducted by US officials. Trump has been applying more pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Although they refused to give any operational information, officials acknowledged that US special operations forces were participating in the Indian Ocean mission. Iran and China did not immediately respond to the news.