Despite a US naval blockade, Iran has managed to export several shipments of liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel.
This is evidenced by shipping intelligence data and maritime security analysts, Reuters reports Reuters.
According to the United Against Nuclear Iran analytical group, since mid-July at least eight gas carriers carrying about 4.1 million barrels of Iranian gas have left the Gulf of Oman, along with a jet-fuel tanker that reached Myanmar in September. Tehran is concealing these cargoes through ship-to-ship transfers off the coast of Oman, disguising them among operations by other Persian Gulf producers.
Iran’s cautious tactics are a rare example of successfully transporting petroleum products under a strict blockade that has completely halted exports of Iranian crude oil. Most gas carriers, after leaving the gulf, head towards the coast of Malaysia for further transhipment and delivery to buyers in China.
US Central Command says the blockade remains firm. Over the past three months, US forces have turned back 135 vessels and disabled four commercial ships. US officials stress that the passage of individual vessels is monitored, and isolated instances of transportation do not indicate a failure of sanctions pressure, which is intended to drain the Iranian regime’s economy.