US says it will pursue ships in Pacific Ocean supporting Iran
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Sean Mathews
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Thu, 04/16/2026 - 16:51
Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the US military will also target 'dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil'
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth looks on as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, on 16 April 2026 (Saul Loeb/AFP)
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The US military said on Thursday that it will intercept any vessel, including those in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, that it believes is providing "material support" to Iran.
Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon that the "Joint Force, through operations and activities in other areas of responsibility, like the Pacific… will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel, or any vessel, attempting to provide material support to Iran".
"This includes dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil," he added.
Earlier this week, the US launched a blockade against Iran in response to its seizure of the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran has implemented a preferential transit system allowing its own vessels out of the Gulf while blocking most bound for neighbouring Arab states.
The Islamic Republic is also working to introduce a toll system that could charge vessels up to $2m to pass through the waterway.
Caine defended the US blockade and said the "action is a blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline, not a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz".
"Enforcement will occur inside Iran’s territorial seas, and in international waters," he added.
Analysts have told Middle East Eye that expanding the US blockade against Iran into the Pacific could provoke concern in China, even though Beijing is unlikely to confront Washington directly.
They have said that while China has little appetite for open conflict, it still has significant strategic interests in the region that could be affected.
As a result of crippling US sanctions, Iran has come to rely on a fleet of oil tankers untethered to the western insurance and finance system, dubbed the "shadow fleet". Those vessels mainly transport Iranian crude and refined petroleum products to China.
While several vessels known to carry Iranian cargo have entered the Strait of Hormuz, none appear to have exited the waterway and the Gulf of Oman, where the US Navy is spread out, maritime experts have previously told MEE.
Because Chinese refineries are the main customers of Iranian oil, the US blockade has put a spotlight on Beijing, with analysts asking whether the US would board Chinese vessels.
Iran may opt to abide by US blockade in hopes of a deal, experts say
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Earlier this week, some western media reports cited a quote circulating on social media - allegedly from China’s defence minister - which said Beijing would not abide by the US blockade. But Yun Sun, the director of the China programme at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, told MEE the remarks were not confirmed by the Chinese government and had been disavowed in state media.
China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, spoke on Wednesday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Aragchi. A Chinese readout of the call said Yi called for respect for the "sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests of Iran as a country bordering the Strait of Hormuz".
"Meanwhile, the freedom and security of navigation in the internationally accessible strait should also be guaranteed," he added.
Sun, at the Stimson Center, previously told MEE that the Strait of Hormuz was "so far" from China, and that Beijing would not challenge the US in the waterway. However, China is trying to position itself as the dominant power in the Pacific.
In addition to buying oil from Iran, Chinese firms are known to have sold sodium perchlorate, a material used to manufacture solid propellant for missiles, to Iran. Those deliveries occurred by ship.
MEE previously reported that China sold air defence systems to Iran after the June 2025 attacks on the Islamic Republic, and later drones.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that China may have delivered shoulder-fired missiles to Iran. It is unclear how those shipments made it to the Islamic Republic.
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