Reuters: UAE secretly transported oil from Iran through the Strait of Hormuz

The United Arab Emirates recently allowed several crude oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, disabling their location trackers to avoid attacks from Iran.

Reuters reports this, citing three sources, as well as Kpler data and SynMax satellite images.

In April, the UAE National Oil Company ADNOC managed to export at least 6 million barrels of oil on four tankers from terminals in the Persian Gulf.

The tankers transported oil in three ways. In the first, they passed through the Strait of Hormuz and then transferred the oil to another ship that took it to an oil refinery in Southeast Asia. In the second, they unloaded it for storage in Oman. And in the third, after passing through the Strait of Hormuz, they themselves transported it to South Korean refineries.

According to Kpler, ADNOC has had to cut exports by more than 1 million barrels per day since the war began. Last year, it exported 3.1 million barrels per day.

ADNOC cargoes are at risk of attack from Iran. For example, when Iran attacked the Emirates on May 4, an empty ADNOC tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was among those hit.

Other Gulf oil suppliers — Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar — have either suspended sales or significantly reduced prices to lure uninterested buyers. And Saudi Arabia exports only through the Red Sea.

War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.

On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.

On April 19, Donald Trump announced that his representatives would go to Pakistan for talks. But Iran refused to send its delegation. The Foreign Ministry noted that the US had violated the ceasefire, and Iran "cannot forget the US attacks on it during previous talks".

On April 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had extended the truce with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios wrote, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.

In early May, the United States announced Operation Project Freedom to remove neutral ships from the Strait of Hormuz. However, the operation was halted two days later, with Washingtonʼs allies in the region restricting access to their bases by American military personnel. Only two ships passed through the strait.

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