Iran strikes disrupt shadow oil shipping routes used by Russia and China

Tehran’s strike campaign threatens to disrupt shadow shipping networks and sanctions evasion routes, increase energy costs for Moscow and Beijing, and potentially squeeze Russia’s war financing and China’s industrial and military supply chains.

As of Monday, the Iranian regime declared the closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz between Iran’s Hormuz Island and Oman’s Khasab region, under the threat of “burning” ships.

Oil tanker traffic immediately dropped sharply as merchant mariners now feared missile attacks; but the conflict has also affected the so-called “shadow fleet” of unflagged or secretly flag-flying oil tankers bound for economically isolated countries such as Cuba, Iran and Russia.

The US has already established a semi-maritime quarantine on oil imports to Cuba, while countries such as Mexico have been warned not to send oil to abusive regimes.

There are also European partners Action was taken against the “Shadow Fleet” Amid new unrest, it has tightened its grip on China and especially Russia.

The Belgian army blocked the shadow fleet tanker MT Ethera from passing through the North Sea on Monday.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken GCaptain told News It was stated that the tanker was directed to Zeebrugge by an escort and would be seized by Brussels.

“Operation Blue Intruder was carried out by a team of extremely brave soldiers. Excellent job,” he said; The publication also reported that the ship was affiliated with a confidant of Khamenei.

MT Ethera is reportedly linked to the son of senior political advisor Ali Shamkhani, whose family reportedly controls the entire tanker fleet that could be used to facilitate Iranian and Russian oil trade.

RUSSIAN OIL TANKER ‘THE GRINCH’ WAS STOPPED AS THE USA AND ALLIES INCREASED SANCTIONS

A time-lapse video shows maritime traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz. (Kpler/Marine Traffic)

A consortium of Western powers is also implementing the Ural Price Ceiling, which fell to about $44 per barrel last month. The price ceiling, named after the Ural Mountains, aims to keep Russian oil below free market rates.

The West’s newly encouraged targeting of the so-called “grey market” of shadow fleet oil points to potential problems for countries that rely on it, such as China and Cuba.

China reportedly relies heavily on Iran for its otherwise sanctioned oil, while Russia may face further austerity that could negatively impact the cash flow it needs to continue its war in Ukraine.

Additionally, CENTCOM this week released video of a U.S. attack on an Iranian ship carrying a drone, and Cmdr. Brad Cooper said more than 30 Tehran-related ships have been sunk since the attack began. According to Naval Today.

“Just in the last few hours, we hit an Iranian drone ship roughly the size of a World War II-era aircraft carrier, and it is now burning,” Cooper said.

News of the elimination of the Ayatollah and his next 48 successors by President Donald Trump’s count and the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro is shattering not only the stay-behind fleet but also the suppliers of its client countries.

FIRES REMAINED IN IRAN’S BANDAR ABBAS NAVAL HEADQUARTERS, TRAFFIC STOPPED IN THE STRAIT OF HORmuz

Just as OPEC’s interest rate hikes affect American energy prices, the disruption of the structure of the shadow fleet could lead to inflation in China.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury Department for more information about the implications of the shadow fleet that oversees the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Over the past several weeks, OFAC has imposed sanctions on 30 individuals or entities linked to Iran facilitating illicit oil sales and/or benefiting from weapons production as part of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign.

“OFAC targeted additional ships operating as part of Iran’s stay-behind fleet, which transports Iran’s oil and petroleum products to foreign markets and serves as the regime’s primary source of revenue to fund domestic repression, terrorist proxies, and weapons programs,” the agency said in a statement. he said.

“Iran exploits financial systems to sell illicit oil, launder proceeds, supply components for its nuclear and conventional weapons programs, and support terrorist proxies,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added.

“Treasury will continue to apply maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it prioritizes over the lives of the Iranian people,” Bessent said.

GAS PRICES MAY RISE AS MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS THREAT GLOBAL OIL SUPPLY

Dashan tanker, belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, is passing through the Bosphorus and heading towards the Black Sea. (Yörük Işık/Reuters)

OFAC later listed a dozen ships that they confirmed were sanctioned “shadow fleet” ships.

“Instead of allocating this revenue for the benefit of the Iranian people, the regime ultimately uses it to finance regional terrorist proxies, weapons programs, and repressive security services rather than the basic economic needs that the Iranian people have repeatedly and boldly demanded,” the Treasury Department said.

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Flag ships It has been determined by the USA that Panama, Barbados, Palau, Comoros, Iran and Vanuatu have been carrying millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil in recent years.

The Treasury Department, which oversees OFAC, did not respond to questions for this story.

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