Reuters: U.S. Military Secretly Transported Gulf Oil Following Iran's Model

June 16 — A new Reuters report says the U.S. military has been overseeing dozens of covert ship-to-ship oil transfer operations in the Gulf region to keep energy exports flowing. The missions use aerial drones, surface unmanned vessels, and helicopters to guide a fleet of craft to waiting oil tankers. Carried out on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz, the operations rely on a transfer tactic Iran has long used to evade international sanctions, per sources familiar with the effort. Those sources confirmed two specific transfer sites: one off the coast of the UAE’s Fujairah, and another outside Oman’s Sohar port. Shipping data and satellite imagery show the operations launched in early May, with at least 92 vessels taking part in the transfers. As of June 11, satellite images showed 17 pairs of vessels conducting crude oil transfers at those two locations simultaneously. Four sources — including a former U.S. official — revealed that the Apache helicopter shot down by Iran on June 9 (which triggered subsequent U.S. retaliatory strikes) was part of this mission. Satellite footage from that day also captures six pairs of tankers clustered in a small area outside Sohar port.