What they're not telling you: Iran continues to export its oil out of the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz using dark mode on tankers to move past the US blockade outside the world’s most vital oil chokepoint. At least two Iran-flagged supertankers fully laden with an estimated about 4 million barrels of crude have exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz and through the U.S. blockade, Bloomberg reports , citing satellite imagery analyzed by energy flows intelligence firm Vortexa.
# THE TAKE: America's Sanctions Theater Just Got Exposed The US blockade on Iranian oil is performing exactly as designed—for everyone *except* American interests. Paraskova's reporting confirms what three administrations have refused to admit: we're subsidizing global oil prices while Iran laughs all the way to the bank. Here's the receipts: shadow fleet tankers—largely Chinese and Russian-flagged vessels—are moving Iranian crude at a premium that makes sanctions economically irrelevant. The Strait of Hormuz still pumps 21% of global oil. We're not stopping that flow; we're just making middlemen richer. Meanwhile, European refiners absorb the cost, domestic gas prices stay elevated, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps quietly funds operations unimpeded. The real scandal? We've been lying about effectiveness for years. Sanctions work when enforcement actually happens. This isn't enforcement. It's performance art.
What the Documents Show
The two Iranian very large crude carriers have been detected by satellite images as they had turned off their transponders and AIS positioning weeks ago. One of the supertankers, the Hero II , last transmitted a signal more than a month ago, with position in the Malacca Strait, data on MarineTraffic showed. The other VLCC, the Hedy, was last detected by AIS transponders around the same area near Malaysia and Singapore more than 70 days ago. Various vessel-tracking and maritime intelligence firms say that Iran continues to export its oil and move tankers past the U.S. blockade, by increasingly using dark activity and signal spoofing tactics.
Follow the Money
Earlier this week, an Iranian supertanker, which had delivered 2 million barrels of crude to a ship-to-ship transfer offshore Indonesia, was en route to return to Iran’s Kharg Island after entering the Strait of Hormuz through the U.S. An Iran-owned VLCC departed Iran in late March 2026 and traveled to the Riau Archipelago in Indonesia, where she transferred 2 million barrels of crude oil to another VLCC, according to vessel monitoring data by TankerTrackers.com . “Iranian flows continue via deception, including dark activity and ship-to-ship transfers,” maritime intelligence firm Windward said in a daily note on Tuesday. “Iranian maritime trade remains active, but increasingly reliant on deceptive shipping practices and alternative routing strategies. New intelligence indicates potential shifts east of Hormuz, suggesting that pressure in the Gulf is driving adaptation rather than halting flows.” Make sure to read our "How To [Read/Tip Off] Zero Hedge Without Attracting The Interest Of [Human Resources/The Treasury/Black Helicopters]" Guide It would be very wise of you to study our privacy policy and our (non)policy on conflicts / full disclosure . Here's our Cookie Policy .
Primary Sources
- Source: ZeroHedge
- Category: Government Secrets
- Cross-reference independently — don't take our word for it.
Disclosure: NewsAnarchist aggregates from public records, API feeds (Federal Register, CourtListener, MuckRock, Hacker News), and independent media. AI-assisted synthesis. Always verify primary sources linked above.