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US troops in Jaffna last week.
United States special operations forces intercepted a shipment of military-related cargo from China bound for Iran while the vessel was operating off the coast of Sri Lanka, in a covert operation that took place whilst US troops were on the island – purportedly for humanitarian work.
The interception took place in the Indian Ocean several hundred miles off Sri Lanka’s coast, where US operatives boarded the ship and seized its cargo before allowing the vessel to continue its journey. The ship has not been publicly identified, and neither its ownership nor flag has been disclosed. US officials said the operation was aimed at preventing Iran from rebuilding its ballistic missile arsenal following its 12-day conflict with Israel in June.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the cargo consisted of dual-use components with both civilian and military applications, which US intelligence believes were destined for Iranian companies specialising in procuring parts for Tehran’s missile programme. One official said the seized shipment was destroyed. US Indo-Pacific Command, which carried out the operation, declined to comment.
The previously undisclosed operation coincided with the presence of US military aircraft and personnel in Sri Lanka, officially deployed to assist with disaster relief following Cyclone Ditwah.
In a statement, the US embassy said, “Following a request from the Government of Sri Lanka and in coordination with the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) deployed U.S. military aircraft and personnel to provide airlift and logistics support for Sri Lanka’s Cyclone Ditwah response.” The embassy added that US aircraft were supporting Sri Lanka-led missions to transport emergency relief supplies from Katunayake Air Base to affected areas.
The operation off Sri Lanka forms part of a broader and increasingly interventionist strategy by the United States. In January 2024, US Central Command seized Iranian-made missile components bound for Houthi forces near Somalia. The US has also confiscated Iranian oil shipments in 2020 and 2023, claiming the proceeds benefited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. More recently, US forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela that had been used to transport oil linked to Iran, an action that former president Donald Trump publicly highlighted.
The Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, visited Colombo from 19 to 21 March 2025.
Chinese shipments to Iran have drawn growing scrutiny in Washington. Two Democratic congressmen, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Joe Courtney, recently urged US officials to investigate shipments of sodium perchlorate from China to Iran, warning that Beijing “seems increasingly emboldened to assist Tehran’s rearmament efforts with impunity”. US authorities have since sanctioned dozens of Iranian and Chinese entities accused of facilitating missile and drone production.
There has been no comment from the Sri Lankan government on the development, nor confirmation of whether US troops stationed in Sri Lanka were part of the operation.
