The Marines have now verified what was on that Iranian tanker that the Navy intercepted and the Marines boarded, and it's not good news. My colleague Nick Arama reported on the suspicions around the cargo on Monday; President Trump has now, in an interview on Tuesday, confirmed those suspicions.
The Iranian ship seized by U.S. Marines on Monday after attempting to break through President Trump’s blockade was reportedly found to be carrying dual-use chemicals shipped from China that are commonly used to manufacture ballistic missiles.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! The Iranian-flagged ship Touska, which the US military seized yesterday, was in-bound from China “loaded with dual-use chemicals used to manufacture ballistic missiles,” per WP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 21, 2026
US Marines are now searching 5,000 containers on board.
No wonder they tried to run the… pic.twitter.com/Vjl5Z1ynLRIn an interview on Tuesday, President Trump confirmed the report, describing the chemicals as a "gift from China." He added that he was surprised by it because he thought he "had an understanding with President Xi."
"You know, they're trying to move the missiles, because we've obliterated most of their missiles, and they're trying to move their missiles around, even during the ceasefire, which I think was a good thing, because we're totally loaded up," he said. "We have so much ammo. We have so much of everything that we've, like, much, much more powerful than it was four or five weeks ago."
The Nick Sortor X post reads:
HOLY CRAP! The Iranian-flagged ship Touska, which the US military seized yesterday, was in-bound from China “loaded with dual-use chemicals used to manufacture ballistic missiles,” per WP US Marines are now searching 5,000 containers on board. No wonder they tried to run the blockade.
That's disconcerting. On Monday, Nick Arama wrote:
The Touska has been accused in the past of procuring material for Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
It is part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), a state-owned company under U.S., British and European Union sanctions that has been described by the U.S. State Department as the “preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents.”
That history very likely led the Navy's attention to this ship.
Video of US Boarding Iranian Ship - and the Question of What Might Have Been on It
There are also reports of other materials that could be used in missiles, including metals, piping, and electronics. So, this is another thing that President Trump will no doubt have to talk about with Chairman Xi when the president visits Beijing this month.
Worse, this shows a level of military cooperation and aid from China to Iran that we haven't seen since Operation Epic Fury kicked off in February. (Note that doesn't mean it hasn't happened - just that we haven't seen it.) It seems unlikely that the Middle Kingdom will get directly involved, but every war is won and lost by logistics, and China's support could well allow Iran to remain in the fight longer than it would have otherwise. That, too, is disconcerting.
Stay tuned. This thing isn't over yet. Not by a long shot.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member