Reuters: Shipping intelligence data shows that Iran has managed to export some LPG and jet fuel despite the US blockade / Tehran has been hiding its cargoes in the waters near Oman in recent weeks amid the increasing volume of ship-to-ship transfers by other oil producers.
Shipping intelligence data and statements from people working in the field of maritime security show that Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and jet fuel since July, despite the US naval blockade.
Reuters wrote: Shipping intelligence data and statements from people working in the field of maritime security show that Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and jet fuel since July despite the US naval blockade.
According to "Select" report; This article continues: Four sources active in the field of maritime security, who monitor the movements of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, told Reuters that Tehran has been hiding its cargoes in the waters near Oman in recent weeks amid the increasing volume of cargo transfers from ship to ship by other oil producers in the Persian Gulf.
The details of Iran's export and its method are published for the first time in this report. Although the volume of these shipments is very small compared to Iran's previous energy exports, their passage is a rare evidence of the transfer of Iranian oil products abroad; That too in the situation that the US blockade has stopped the export of Iranian crude oil.
The analysis of the American group "Union Against Nuclear Iran" (UANI), which monitors the movement of tankers linked to Iran using ship tracking data and satellites, shows that at least eight gas tankers have left the Gulf of Oman since mid-July while carrying Iranian liquefied petroleum gas.
Also, based on satellite images and analyzes of "SynMax" marine intelligence group, a tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel arrived in Myanmar in September.
The US imposed targeted sanctions against Myanmar's jet fuel industry in 2023. Washington had announced the reason for this action was the air strikes of this country's army against civilians; The attacks, according to the United Nations, have killed thousands of people. Myanmar's military government has repeatedly denied targeting civilians and said its operations are against armed groups.
Reuters' review of ships and sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department shows that six out of eight gas tankers, as well as a jet fuel tanker, are under US sanctions for transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
Jemima Shelley, senior research analyst at UANI, said: "What we have observed is the passage of a handful of tankers carrying Iranian liquefied petroleum gas; But the American forces have changed the route of the overwhelming majority of tankers carrying Iranian products."
Shelley said some tankers carrying Iranian liquefied gas have transferred their cargoes to other ships near the coastal cities of Shinas and Sohar in Oman. Others have been waiting in the Gulf of Oman before crossing the American blockade. The Central Command of the US Army has announced that the area of this siege is located in the Gulf of Oman, near the Iran-Pakistan border.
According to Shelley, the total volume of these liquefied petroleum gas shipments is estimated at 4.1 million barrels.
He added that these shipments were mostly caused by "opportunism" and do not necessarily indicate the formation of a new trend in Iran's attempt to export oil and petrochemical products using smaller ships.
Based on UANI's analysis, Shelley said most of these cargoes went to the outer limits of Malaysia's East Port to make more ship-to-ship transfers; Transfers where the possible destination of the shipments after that was China.
The Iranian government did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. The government supported by the Myanmar army also did not answer the question about receiving Iranian jet fuel.
The US military says the blockade is "impenetrable".
The US military's Central Command, CENTCOM, announced that the country's naval blockade is "impenetrable".
The embargo, which was first imposed on April 13 against Iran-related oil exports, was lifted in June after the United States and Iran reached an initial understanding; But after the collapse of the agreement, it was reinstated on July 14.
A US military official told Reuters that passing a ship through the area does not necessarily mean bypassing the blockade. According to him, each ship is evaluated individually and its documents are examined. The official added that some ships may be allowed to pass for humanitarian reasons.
The official also said that a ship's name being on the US sanctions list is not the only determining factor for its inclusion in the blockade. American forces are also closely monitoring some ships, but do not take action against them for operational reasons.
In a report released on October 13, CENTCOM announced that in the three months since the new round of blockade was implemented, four merchant ships have been disabled and US forces have diverted and turned back 135 ships.
According to Centcom's previous statements, the US military has also returned ships that had departed from Asia and seized a number of oil tankers.
Along with the naval blockade, Washington is also pursuing a wide-ranging sanctions campaign aimed at cutting off the rest of Iran's financial connections and depriving Tehran of its revenues. Last week, the United States imposed new sanctions against 17 ships involved in the transportation of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products, and petroleum products.
Reacting to shipping data showing that some ships have bypassed the blockade, a spokesperson for the US Treasury Department questioned the validity of the data, saying ships may be falsifying their location or using fake identities when loading.
Such data "should be viewed with skepticism," the spokesperson said.
He added that Operation Economic Outcast, along with the naval blockade, is "suffocating the Iranian government".
Torbjörn Soltvedt, senior Middle East analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, said there are no signs of Washington's willingness to ease the pressure of the blockade; However, the deterioration of Iran's economic conditions may lead Tehran to accept more risks.
Soltvedt added: "If Iran can get even a small number of tankers carrying petroleum products through the blockade, jet fuel can be a suitable option. Iran's aviation industry is under increasing pressure from American sanctions and the number of grounded planes is increasing; While there may be a surplus of jet fuel in Iran's refineries."
According to the data of "Kepler" energy information company, Iran's crude oil exports reached zero in September. This was the first month without registering any export cargo from Iran, since the company started monitoring the country's oil exports in 2013.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant has previously said that the maritime blockade has prevented China from buying most of Iran's oil and that Iran is no longer able to deliver its crude oil to its customers.