On the 12th, U.S. media cited informed sources as saying that last month, a U.S. special operations unit rarely intercepted and detained a cargo ship carrying dual-use equipment from China to Iran in the Indian Ocean, in an attempt to prevent Iran from rebuilding its missile arsenal.
According to sources, the U.S. had been tracking the cargo, which may have included dual-use components for Iran's conventional weapons and was being sent to an Iranian company that specializes in purchasing parts for Iran's missile program. U.S. special forces and regular troops intercepted the ship several hundred kilometers off the coast of Sri Lanka, boarded it, and confiscated the cargo before releasing the vessel.
The report noted that this is the first time in recent years that the U.S. military has intercepted a Chinese cargo ship bound for Iran. The name of the vessel and the identity of its owner are currently unknown.