Iranian Ghost Fleet of Small Tankers Filmed Evading US Naval Blockade En Route to China

Analysis
The US blockade halts Iranian crude but leaks small LPG cargoes through Malaysia's EOPL anchorage to Chinese buyers. Because US forces prefer turning LPG carriers around to using force against a volatile cargo, small gas tankers will keep testing the line while crude exports stay blocked. The October 8 Treasury designation of the SOGL came after its voyage, so sanctions have not prevented delivery. This is a narrowing from the April 13 report of a functionally closed strait to a selective barrier. Confidence is low: every outlet relays one UANI account, CENTCOM has not commented, no independent tracking data exists, and the tally varies between nine and at least ten. UANI, which favors maximum pressure, may also be stressing leaks to press for sanctions on Malaysian and Chinese facilitators, so the tally may reflect advocacy more than material enforcement failure.