20 April 2026

Iran’s Shadow Fleet Meets Its Match in U.S. Blockade

Jared Malsin

The White House and U.S. military published a clip of a warning to ships, telling them not to breach the blockade of Iranian ports. Photo: Edgar Su/Reuters

The Rich Starry, a sanctioned Chinese oil and chemical tanker, masked its exact location in the Persian Gulf for more than 10 days before leaving through the Strait of Hormuz this week.

When it emerged into the Gulf of Oman—near where the U.S. Navy is operating to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports—the tanker made an abrupt U-turn. On Wednesday, it anchored off the coast of Iran.

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