The U.S. military has been running a large covert operation in the Persian Gulf in recent weeks to move oil and fuel supplies without Iran’s knowledge, according to a Reuters report. The effort began in early May and was exposed after an American Apache helicopter was shot down by Iran on June 9, which then triggered U.S. retaliation. Four sources, including a former senior American official, said the downed helicopter had been involved in the mission.
On the day of the shootdown, six pairs of oil tankers were seen moored side by side off Sohar, Oman. The operation appears designed to bypass Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during the war. The U.S. has used drones, naval unmanned vehicles and helicopters to guide tanker convoys to meeting points, using ship-to-ship fuel transfers copied from tactics Iran itself has used for years to evade international sanctions.
Shipping data and satellite imagery indicate that at least 92 vessels have taken part in the operation in two main areas, off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and off Oman. Tankers are required to switch off transponders, dim their lights and keep roughly 3,000 to 4,000 meters apart when departing. The U.S. Navy office in Bahrain handles approval and security screening for participating companies.
An American defense official denied that U.S. Central Command forces were involved in the offshore fuel transfer mission. The White House referred questions to Central Command, while the Iranian government declined to comment. The report says about 90 million barrels of crude oil and refined products have moved through the secret network since it began, far below normal prewar trade of about 20 million barrels a day. The risks remain high because Fujairah has been hit repeatedly by Iranian attacks, and a tanker was recently struck by an unidentified projectile off Oman. Analysts cited in the report said the arrangement is only temporary, and one critic said Washington was borrowing from the playbook of countries it has long condemned.
