Key facts
- At least eight gas tankers carrying Iranian LPG have left the Gulf of Oman since mid-July.
- One tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel reached Myanmar in September.
- Six of the eight gas tankers and the jet fuel tanker are under US sanctions.
- The total amount of these LPG cargoes was estimated at 4.1 million barrels.
- US military's Centcom reported turning around 135 ships during the latest blockade.
Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a US naval blockade, according to shipping intelligence and people involved in security. Tehran has been concealing such cargoes among ship-to-ship transfers off Oman. Analysis by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) shows at least eight gas tankers carrying Iranian LPG have left the Gulf of Oman since mid-July. Another tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel reached Myanmar in September, according to satellite imagery and analysis by maritime intelligence group SynMax. Six of the eight gas tankers and the jet fuel tanker are under US sanctions for transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. Jemima Shelley, senior research analyst with UANI, said some Iranian LPG tankers transferred cargoes near the Omani coastal towns of Shinas and Sohar, with the total amount estimated at 4.1 million barrels. Most of the cargoes sailed to Malaysia for further transfers, likely for destinations in China. The US military's Centcom said its naval blockade, reimposed on July 14, is 'ironclad', and that during the latest blockade, four commercial vessels had been disabled and 135 ships had been turned around by US forces. A US Treasury spokesperson questioned shipping data suggesting vessels had evaded the blockade, stating such data 'should be taken with a grain of salt'.