Exclusive: The U.S. Is Using an Iran-Style Smuggling Playbook to Move Gulf Oil Out

Since early May, the U.S. military has led a large-scale ship-to-ship crude transfer operation in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz exit. The effort has involved at least 92 vessels, with an estimated 90 million barrels moved. The operation has relied on drones, helicopters and covert routes. Transfers have taken place offshore from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and Sohar in Oman, skirting an exclusion zone designated by Iran. The risks were underscored on June 9, when a U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down, highlighting the high-stakes nature of the maneuver. While the workaround has helped ease fears of supply disruption, it is an unconventional, high-risk alternative route. The activity has pushed up geopolitical risk premia, providing direct support to crude spot and futures prices.