A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway.
The Cuba supertanker “recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz” and anchored east of Larak Island, according to Iran’s semi-official outlet Mehr News. The ship has been on the US sanctions list since 2024 for transporting Iranian oil shipments to China, Mehr News added.
“The United States claims it has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and does not allow vessels linked to Iran to pass. However, according to reports, several Iranian ships have so far exited through the strait or entered the region via this waterway,” the agency said.
Remember: The pace of vessels through the channel — where ships carry one-fifth of global crude oil supplies — has stemmed to a near halt since the US-Israeli attack on Iran prompted retaliatory Iranian attacks in the region. In the ensuing weeks, Tehran and Washington launched mutual blockades on the waterway, with Iran attacking non-allied vessels and the US targeting ships from Iranian ports.
On Friday, three more ships transited the strait, the trade analytics company Kpler said.
The US military has redirected at least 33 ships since the White House leveled the blockade on April 13, US Central Command said on Thursday.
However, at least 26 of shadow fleet vessels have breached the US blockade line as of Monday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a maritime intelligence firm. On Wednesday, 10 shadow fleet tankers were heading toward the Persian Gulf area, the firm added.
Even so, the US has intercepted Iranian-linked vessels outside the Persian Gulf — including a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean his week.
This post has been updated with more information.
