Iran reports seizing tanker transporting ‘contraband’ oil in Gulf of Oman |
A US special operations team in the Indian Ocean raided a ship headed to Iran from China last month and seized military-related articles, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing US officials.
The cargo consisted of components potentially useful for Iran’s conventional weapons, one official said, adding the shipment had been destroyed.
US forces boarded the ship several hundred miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to the newspaper, which added the vessel was later allowed to proceed.
According to the report, the shipment consisted of dual-use items — ones with potential applications in civilian and military fields — that could be used in Iran’s missile program. The report cited an American official as saying US intelligence indicated the shipment was headed for Iranian companies known to be intermediaries for the country’s missile development efforts.
The action was part of a campaign by the US........