Stories
Iran Exports LPG and Jet Fuel Despite US Naval Blockade
- •Iran has managed to export liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July despite a US naval blockade by concealing cargoes among ship-to-ship transfers off Oman.
- •Data from advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran shows at least eight gas tankers carrying Iranian LPG left the Gulf of Oman since mid-July.
- •A tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel reached Myanmar in September, and most LPG cargoes sailed to Malaysia for likely destinations in China.
- •The US military maintains that its naval blockade is ironclad, having turned around 135 ships and disabled four commercial vessels during the latest three-month period.
- •Iranian crude exports fell to zero in September, marking the first month without a shipment since analytics firm Kpler began tracking in 2013.
Key Questions Answered
Tehran has concealed cargo shipments among a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers conducted by other Gulf producers off the coast of Oman. Some Iranian LPG tankers transferred their cargoes near Omani coastal towns like Shinas and Sohar, while others waited in the Gulf of Oman before moving past the blockade.
Shipping intelligence and security sources indicate that at least eight gas tankers carrying an estimated 4.1 million barrels of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas left the Gulf of Oman, while another tanker successfully delivered Iranian jet fuel to Myanmar in September.
The US military's Centcom maintains that its naval blockade, reimposed on July 14 after a brief lapse, is ironclad. Centcom reported that during the three months of the latest blockade, 135 ships had been turned around and four commercial vessels had been disabled by US forces.
