Washington: Nikki Haley, the Indian-origin member of US President Donald Trump's Republican Party, has claimed that the first Iranian ship seized by the American Navy in the Strait of Hormuz, after the US blockade was imposed, was travelling from China and was carrying chemical shipments for missiles.
"The ship the US seized in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend was headed from China to Iran and is linked to chemical shipments for missiles. It refused repeated orders to stop," Haley said in a post on X.
She also claimed that the prospect of China helping Iranians in the war is a "reality that can no longer be ignored".
"Another reminder that China is helping prop up Iran's regime – a reality that can't be ignored," Haley added.
US forces seized the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska. The small container ship, which is part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with US sanctions, was boarded on Sunday off the coast of Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman, according to ship-tracking data on the Marine Traffic platform.
Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of "armed piracy". Tehran also said it would not join the US in Islamabad for the second round of talks until the blockade is lifted.
Iranians said they were ready to confront US forces over the "blatant aggression" but were constrained by the presence of crew members' families on board.
Meanwhile, US security sources told news agency Reuters that their initial assessments were that the vessel was likely to be carrying dual-use items after a voyage from Asia.
The vessel had previously transported items deemed as dual-use, one of the sources said.
The sources did not go into details on the items. However, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has listed metals, pipes and electronic components among other goods that could have a military as well as an industrial use and could be captured.
Washington imposed sanctions on IRISL in late 2019, describing it as "the preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents", which included transporting items intended for Iran's ballistic missile programme.
