Sanctions — 2026-09-12

Three of Five Iranian Tankers Struck by US Were Also Linked to Russia Shadow Fleet Oil Trade

BLUFDestroying shared Iranian-Russian tankers disrupts both countries' oil exports simultaneously, but the brokering networks behind them will regenerate capacity unless Washington shifts targeting from hulls to intermediaries.

US forces struck five Iranian crude tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island on September 8 after Iran's IRGC attempted to target a US Navy vessel with ballistic missiles, per CENTCOM 1. Ukraine's presidential sanctions commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, told Ukrinform and RFE/RL that three of the five vessels, Kaviz, Charminar, and Riesco, have direct links to Russia's shadow fleet, having called at Russian ports including Ust-Luga, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Vysotsk, and St. Petersburg while carrying Russian oil 23. Vlasiuk said Kaviz was tied to Fractal Marine DMCC and Charminar to a network controlled by Iranian oil trader Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, while Riesco carried both Russian and Iranian crude through ship-to-ship transfers with other sanctioned tankers 14. All three are under US and Ukrainian sanctions, with Kaviz additionally sanctioned by the EU, UK, Canada, and Switzerland 4. CSIS economist Philip Luck told RFE/RL the Russian and Iranian shadow fleets function as a single network rather than separate ones 3.

Analysis
The overlap points to a single evasion infrastructure serving both Moscow and Tehran, meaning sanctions or strikes against one country's tankers mechanically degrade the other's export capacity. Fractal Marine's practice of shifting vessels to new managers after UK sanctions shows the network adapts by changing ownership layers rather than retiring ships, so the strike removed three hulls but left the brokering structure intact, and replacement tonnage will re-enter trade unless Washington targets the intermediaries, managers, and flag registries Vlasiuk names rather than individual vessels. The claim rests on one Vlasiuk interview relayed rather than independently verified across outlets, and Kyiv's sanctions commissioner has an institutional interest in conflating the two fleets while the Graham sanctions bill sits before the House, so "one network" may overstate unity between chains sharing only some intermediaries and routes.

5 sources

US destroys 5 Iranian oil tankers, 3 linked to Russia's shadow fleet, Ukrainian official says - Kyiv Independent
Three of five tankers hit by U.S. forces tied to Russia's shadow fleet – Ukraine - Ukrinform
Ukraine Sees Russian-Iranian Sanctions Networks Converging As US Targets Tankers - RFE/RL
US struck 5 Iranian tankers - 3 were also linked to Russia shadow fleet - Euromaidan Press
Три з п'яти уражених США танкерів пов'язані з російським тіньовим флотом – Власюк - Ukrinform (Ukrainian-language original)