First Sanctioned Tanker Boldly Breaches Trump’s New Hormuz Blockade
A U.S.-sanctioned tanker has defied President Trump’s naval blockade, successfully pushing through the Strait of Hormuz toward China.
In a dramatic real-time test of America’s new naval blockade, a Chinese-linked, U.S.-sanctioned oil tanker has just pushed straight through the Strait of Hormuz and it’s now steaming toward China.
The Rich Starry, blacklisted by Washington since 2023 for helping Iran dodge sanctions, initially turned back when the blockade kicked in on Monday. Hours later it reversed course again, powered through the narrow chokepoint today (Tuesday), and is now heading east with a full load of methanol.
This marks the first tanker to successfully exit the Gulf since President Trump ordered the blockade at 10 a.m. ET yesterday to choke off Iranian oil exports.
And it’s not over.
A second U.S.-sanctioned tanker, the Murlikishan, is already entering the strait right now and is expected to load fuel oil in Iraq in the coming hours.
The big question hanging over the world’s most critical oil artery: Will the U.S. Navy enforce the blockade, or is this the beginning of a very public challenge from Tehran’s trading partners?
The Rich Starry’s successful run is already sending ripples through energy markets and diplomatic channels. Loaded in the UAE’s Hamriyah port (not directly from Iran this voyage), the tanker still carries the heavy political weight of testing Trump’s aggressive new pressure campaign.