ארה"ב בודקת את מטען הספינה האיראנית שנתפסה – גובר החשש שמדובר בסיוע צבאי סיני שעשה דרכו לאיראן

An Iranian cargo ship that visited China last month is now in U.S. custody. U.S. forces seized the vessel on Sunday after it attempted to break the blockade and enter an Iranian port. Officials are now examining what's on board as concerns grow over whether China is secretly supporting Iran militarily. NTD's Flora Hua has more on that. A U.S. blockade is still in effect for all ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, and this Iranian cargo ship, the Tosca, tried to test it, refusing to stop when the U.S. Navy ordered it to. Tosca, vacate your engine room. Vacate your engine room. President Trump posted on Sunday that a U.S. Navy destroyer intercepted the ship in the Gulf of Oman, and it is now in U.S. custody. U.S. forces boarded the disabled vessel, and an investigation is now underway. Former U.S. Navy officer Charlie Brown told the Wall Street Journal that he believes the vessel was likely carrying items valuable to Iran. He said that may help explain why the ship tried to break the U.S. blockade. And here's a kicker. The vessel Tosca belongs to a fleet that visits China often. According to maritime data, it made stops at two major Chinese port cities at the end of March, Shanghai and Zhuhai. In Zhuhai, Gaolan Port is a major hub for heavy industry and liquid chemical storage that includes precursors used to make medium-range missiles. Maritime data also shows the ship spent much of last year sailing back and forth between China and Iran. The Tosca was sanctioned in 2018 for illicit activity, including suspected smuggling. China responded on Monday, saying it is concerned over the U.S. seizure. President Trump said last week that Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping promised him China is not sending weapons to Iran. He also previously warned of steep tariffs on China if it's caught aiding Iran militarily. But experts warned that China has a history of exploiting dual-use technologies and goods to avoid sanctions. The incident is further straining tensions between the U.S. and Iran, and potentially with China as well. Iran said on Monday it has no plans to attend another round of peace talks, though it hasn't completely ruled it out. Flora Hua, NTD News.