🚢 3rd Qatari LNG tanker is transiting Hormuz this one heading directly to China.
The diplomatic and physical signals are moving together.
The Al Sahla left Ras Laffan and is expected at Tianjin's LNG terminal by June 14. 211,842 cubic metres of LNG.
The first 2 Qatari LNG transits since the war began went to Pakistan under government to government deals, approved by Iran to build confidence in peace talks.
This is the first heading to China.
A commercial cargo, not a diplomatic gesture.
The timing is not coincidental.
A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday, coordinating with the US to resolve outstanding issues toward a ceasefire.
Ships moving through Hormuz and diplomats moving through Tehran are part of the same process.
The scale of Qatar's problem hasn't changed.
Iranian attacks destroyed 12.8 mtpa 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity.
Repairs: 3 to 5 years.
QatarEnergy's CEO said so directly.
3 tankers through Hormuz in nearly 3 months is a trickle against that backdrop.
But trickles are how confidence building works.
Qatar is simultaneously running diplomacy and testing the route.
Both are necessary.
Neither is sufficient yet.