US forces intercepted a ship in the Indian Ocean last month and seized military cargo believed to be destined for Iran from China, the US military said. The Wall Street Journal , citing American officials.
According to the WSJ, a US special operations team boarded the ship several hundred kilometers off the coast of Sri Lanka and confiscated the cargo before allowing the ship to continue its journey.
US officials said Washington had been tracking the shipment before the operation.
The previously undisclosed raid was part of a Pentagon effort to disrupt Iran's clandestine military procurement following a 12-day conflict in June, during which Israel and the United States inflicted severe damage on Iran's nuclear and missile facilities, the Journal wrote.
US officials told the newspaper that the seized cargo consisted of components potentially useful for Iran's conventional weapons program.
The items were described as dual-use materials, meaning they could be used for both civilian and military purposes.
An official said the cargo was destroyed.
The newspaper said that US intelligence suggested that the cargo was destined for Iranian companies specializing in providing components for the country's missile program.
It is known that the operation involved both special operations forces and conventional military units.
This marked the first time in recent years that the US military is known to have intercepted cargo of Chinese origin en route to Iran.
The name and ownership of the ship could not be determined.
Neither has the US Indo-Pacific Command, which conducted the operation, commented on the incident. /Telegraph/
