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War & Conflict1h 54m ago

The US military is overseeing secret ship-to-ship oil transfers near the Strait of Hormuz to keep Gulf exports flowing, using aerial and water drones and helicopters.

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near the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, off Oman’s port of Sohar, Gulf of Oman, Bahrain

Who
US military, Reuters, 11 people familiar with the operation, 4 sources including a former US official, a US defense official, the White House, Iranian government, Michael Froman, Noam Raydan, 8 sources including a private security contractor, Dynacom Tankers Management, George Procopiou, a maritime source, 4 sources, UAE government, ADNOC, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, TankerTrackers.com
What
The US military is overseeing secret ship-to-ship oil transfers near the Strait of Hormuz to keep Gulf exports flowing, using aerial and water drones and helicopters.
When
Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:33:08 GMT · 1h 54m ago
Where
near the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, off Oman’s port of Sohar, Gulf of Oman, Bahrain ·
Why
The operation aims to help restore normal oil flows from the Gulf after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy supply.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

The clandestine operation, involving at least 116 ships since early May and a reported 90 million barrels of crude, indicates significant efforts to counteract global energy disruption, but faces risks from Iranian actions and creates maritime safety concerns due to ships operating with transponders off.

Story chain

6 events in this thread
  1. War & Conflict1h 54m ago
    The US military has been overseeing secret ship-to-ship oil transfers near the Strait of Hormuz since early May, using drones and helicopters to guide convoys and keep Gulf energy exports flowing.
    Open article
  2. War & Conflict1h 54m ago
    The US military has overseen scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers since early May near the Strait of Hormuz, employing drones and helicopters to guide convoys and keep Gulf energy exports flowing.
    Open article
  3. Currently Reading1h 54m ago
    The US military is overseeing secret ship-to-ship oil transfers near the Strait of Hormuz to keep Gulf exports flowing, using aerial and water drones and helicopters.
  4. War & Conflict2h 22m ago
    The US military has been overseeing covert ship-to-ship oil transfers near the Strait of Hormuz since May, using a tactic Iran pioneered to dodge sanctions.
    Open article
  5. War & Conflict2h 22m ago
    The US military has overseen clandestine ship-to-ship oil transfers near the Strait of Hormuz since May, adopting a technique previously used by Iran to circumvent sanctions.
    Open article
  6. War & Conflict3h 10m ago
    The US military is secretly guiding oil tankers through the Gulf of Oman using drones and helicopters to facilitate ship-to-ship transfers, a tactic mirroring methods used by Iran.
    Open article

Verified Sources & Citations