Iran has seized a tanker that appears to have been carrying its own oil, highlighting just how tangled its export system has become under sanctions and blockade.
part of Iran’s shadow fleet, the network used to move crude outside official channels.
Iran’s explanation didn’t add much clarity. Officials said the tanker was carrying Iranian oil but had tried to exploit regional conditions. No details on what that actually means.
Pretty shady looking site. If this can be believed, it seems like story is that some kind of deniable sub-contractor in the wider shadow fleet network was doing something that caused it to be flagged as suspicious and seized by iranian officials.
’ Iran has seized the oil tanker Ocean Koi in the Gulf of Oman over an alleged attempt to disrupt Iran’s oil exports, Iranian state media said on Friday, quoting an army statement.
It said the Barbados-flagged tanker was carrying Iranian oil and “was trying to harm and disrupt oil exports … by exploiting regional conditions”.’
So unauthorized transport of iranian oil? Either the ship was sanctioned by the US in error or a ship that was shady enough to do sanctions-busting for Iran is also shady enough to double cross iran, work for another paymaster, or some such?
Pretty shady looking site. If this can be believed, it seems like story is that some kind of deniable sub-contractor in the wider shadow fleet network was doing something that caused it to be flagged as suspicious and seized by iranian officials.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-seizes-oil-tanker-ocean-koi-gulf-oman-state-media-says-2026-05-08/
’ Iran has seized the oil tanker Ocean Koi in the Gulf of Oman over an alleged attempt to disrupt Iran’s oil exports, Iranian state media said on Friday, quoting an army statement. It said the Barbados-flagged tanker was carrying Iranian oil and “was trying to harm and disrupt oil exports … by exploiting regional conditions”.’
So unauthorized transport of iranian oil? Either the ship was sanctioned by the US in error or a ship that was shady enough to do sanctions-busting for Iran is also shady enough to double cross iran, work for another paymaster, or some such?
I am trying to figure that out, I suspect maybe it offloaded it’s oil to another tanker and then took on UAE oil.