Dramatic: An investigation by The Washington Post reveals that despite the American blockade in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian oil continues to flow to global markets—mainly to China—through an old method of covert transfers between tankers in the middle of the sea, thousands of kilometers away from Iran.
According to the investigation, which includes documented evidence:
• Since April 16, at least 13 tankers loaded with Iranian oil were recorded carrying out secret ship-to-ship oil transfers to empty tankers near Indonesia’s Riau Islands.
• According to the monitoring company TankerTrackers, these transfers amount to approximately 22 million barrels of oil worth more than $2 billion.
• According to the maritime intelligence company Windward, the Riau Islands have served for years as a permanent transit hub used to disguise the origin of Iranian oil before it reaches China.
• According to Kpler, around 42 million barrels of Iranian oil are still floating in storage tankers in the area, down from roughly 90 million barrels recorded in February.
• Meanwhile, the rate of renewed exports has been affected. According to Windward, as of Monday, not a single large tanker carrying Iranian oil had passed through the Strait of Malacca for 10 consecutive days—the longest gap since the beginning of the war.
• Some tankers have also started bypassing the Strait of Malacca altogether, rerouting through the Lombok Strait near Bali—a longer route, but one with less exposure to international monitoring.
In other words, while the American blockade is managing to choke off new Iranian exports, the massive oil stockpile already at sea is still allowing Tehran to continue selling oil and buying time.
(Iran News)
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Dramatic: Iranian oil still flows despite Blockade
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