Reuters: U.S. military secretly transfers Gulf oil by emulating Iran's model

BlockBeats News. On June 16, according to Reuters, to maintain the flow of energy exports in the Gulf region, the U.S. military has supervised dozens of secret ship-to-ship crude oil transfer operations and used aerial drones, surface unmanned boats, and helicopters to guide fleets to tankers waiting to receive cargo.

The operation took place in an area along the edge of the Strait of Hormuz and used a transshipment-and-transfer method that Iran has long used to evade sanctions. People familiar with the operation confirmed two specific locations where the oil transfers were carried out: one offshore from Fujairah, in the UAE, and the other offshore from Sohar port, in Oman.

Based on shipping data and satellite images, the operation began in early May, with at least 92 vessels participating in the transfers. Satellite images show that as of June 11, 17 pairs of ships could still be seen carrying out crude oil transfer operations at these two locations. Four sources, including a former U.S. official, said an Apache helicopter involved in the operation was shot down by Iran on June 9, which was then followed by U.S. retaliatory airstrikes. According to satellite images, on the day the Apache helicopter was shot down, six pairs of oil tankers had gathered in a small area of water outside Sohar port.