Sanctioned Chinese Tanker Passes Hormuz Despite U.S. Naval Blockade | OilPrice.com
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A sanctioned Chinese-linked tanker successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the limited scope of the U.S. blockade, which targets only traffic linked directly to Iranian ports.

A Chinese-owned tanker under U.S. sanctions has passed the Strait of Hormuz despite the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports that began on Monday.

Citing data from Kpler and MarineTraffic, Reuters reported that the vessel had traversed the chokepoint earlier today. Owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd., the vessel, Rich Starry, became a target for U.S. sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude.

The Rich Starry is loaded with 250,000 barrels of methanol that it loaded at the Emirati port of Hamriyah, according to the data. It could be that fact that has ensured the unobstructed passage of the vessel, despite the sanctions. The U.S. Central Command said the blockade would only cover Iranian ports and traffic to and from them.

  • wheezy@lemmy.mlEnglish
    4·
    8 hours ago

    Not really that simple. Iran wasn’t blocking the strait entirely. They were allowing oil held by or bound for nations friendly to them through, some with a toll depending on how friendly. Some corner cases of some other nations as well. But, even so, a lot of ships just don’t want to take the risk either way. It’s literally a war zone.

    A blockade by the US would stop more ships. But it doesn’t seem like that’s actually happening. Or it’s hard to tell right now exactly what is going to happen.

    I wouldn’t say it’s a dumb move (in that it doesn’t do anything. It does) but more of a dumb escalation of tensions that the US will likely not follow through on again.

    The Trump tactic seems to be to say he’s going to do something extreme and then not actually follow through with it. It looks stupid from the outside. But that’s assuming the billionaire pedophile is trying to do something other than benefit him and his rich friends and family.

    We’re watching an admin that is literally just playing games with the world economy (and peoples lives) in order to enrich themselves.

    Don’t make the mistake of thinking he’s just dumb. There is more to it than that. Massive amounts of money are changing hands every time he escalates and then deescalates. And knowing when exactly he decides to do that can literally net you millions of dollars in minutes.

    This is just a game to them.