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diplomacyMay 13, 2026

Chinese supertanker exits Gulf, crossing Hormuz after months of delay | The Jerusalem Post

Summary

A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the US-Iran war, LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data showed. The Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu is now anchored off the Gulf of Oman, near where the US Navy has set up a blockade on Iranian vessels, LSEG data showed. The crossing comes as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet over the next two days, and after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited Beijing last week. The voyage marks the third known passage by a Chinese oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, based on ship-tracking data. Iran tightens its grip on the strait Iran has appeared to tighten its control over the strait in recent days, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the region, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Other countries are exploring similar deals, sources said, in a move that could help entrench Tehran's control of the waterway. The Chinese VLCC is owned and operated by COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation's 600026.SS Hainan unit and chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese state oil major Sinopec 600028.SS. COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation and Sinopec did not immediately respond to requests for comments. The Yuan Hua Hu loaded nearly 2 million barrels of Basrah Medium crude at Iraq's Basrah terminal in early March and has remained stranded inside the Gulf until now, according to the tracking data. It is bound for Asia. Chinese-flagged VLCCs Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai exited the Strait of Hormuz on April 11. A vehicle carrier, Xiang Jiang Kou, also sailed through the strait in the past 12 hours and broadcast a message on its AIS public transponder saying "Chinese vessel and crew", according to satellite analysis from data analytics specialists SynMax and separate data on the MarineTraffic platform. The vessel was operated by a Singapore-registered group Xin Yin Chuang Yuan 6 Tiajin. Trump said he does not need China's help with Iran Trump has said he does not expect to need China's help to end the war in Iran and ease Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, in remarks made before he arrived in Beijing on Wednesday. Speaking before departing from Washington, Trump played down the role China could have in resolving the conflict, in which both sides have blocked maritime traffic through a waterway that normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil supplies. "I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise," he told reporters. Iranian officials have signaled they see that control as a long-term strategic goal. An army spokesperson said supervision of the waterway could generate revenue amounting to twice Iran's oil income, while strengthening its foreign policy leverage. "After this war ends, there will be no place for retreat," the spokesperson said, according to comments carried by ISNA news agency. More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, US and Iranian demands to end the war remain far apart. Washington has called for Tehran to scrap its nuclear program and lift its chokehold on the strait, while Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the US blockade, and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah. Trump has dismissed those positions as "garbage."

Perspectives

Iranian Official

In a clear demonstration of Iran's sovereign control over the Strait of Hormuz, the Chinese supertanker Yuan Hua Hu successfully transited the waterway carrying Iraqi crude, defying the US Navy's aggressive blockade imposed amid the US-Iran war. Tehran has further entrenched its authority through strategic deals with Iraq and Pakistan to facilitate regional oil shipments, underscoring its resistance to foreign aggression and determination to protect its maritime rights. This marks the third such passage since the conflict began, highlighting Iran's unyielding stance against external interference.

Israeli

Iran's tightening grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through oil deals with Iraq and Pakistan, represents a direct escalation in Tehran's proxy network strategy to dominate vital energy routes and sustain its existential threat to Israel. The passage of the Chinese VLCC Yuan Hua Hu, carrying Iraqi crude past a US blockade, underscores Beijing's role in undermining sanctions and enabling Iran's aggression amid the US-Israeli campaign that began February 28. Such moves highlight the defensive necessity of sustained Western and Israeli operations to prevent Tehran from strangling global supply lines and funding further attacks on the Jewish state.

Neutral

Ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed that the Chinese Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu, carrying nearly two million barrels of Iraqi crude and operated by a COSCO Shipping unit under charter to Sinopec's trading arm, transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after remaining in the Gulf for more than two months. The vessel is now anchored off the Gulf of Oman, according to LSEG data, marking the third reported passage by a Chinese tanker through the strait since February 28. Reports of Iranian agreements with Iraq and Pakistan on regional oil and gas shipments, as well as similar explorations by other countries, remain based on unnamed sources.

Western

A Chinese VLCC carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude transited the Strait of Hormuz, threading past a US Navy blockade positioned to neutralize Iranian threats to maritime traffic following the February 28 outbreak of hostilities. The vessel’s movement, the third recorded since operations began, underscores US efforts to enforce freedom of navigation and disrupt Tehran’s attempts to consolidate control through new oil and LNG arrangements with Iraq and Pakistan. The transit coincides with high-level US-Chinese diplomacy, highlighting ongoing strategic pressure to counter Iranian influence in the vital waterway.

Pro-Peace

The US-Iran war and naval blockade have stranded vital oil shipments like the Yuan Hua Hu, exacerbating humanitarian crises through disrupted energy supplies, soaring civilian costs in Iran, Iraq, and beyond, and risks to seafarers amid escalating tensions. Iran's deals with neighbors and the tanker's recent passage underscore how conflict entrenches control over the Strait of Hormuz at the expense of regional stability and ordinary lives. With Trump-Xi talks and prior Iranian diplomacy in Beijing ahead, renewed negotiations offer a critical path to avert further civilian suffering over military posturing.

Global South

The passage of the Chinese VLCC Yuan Hua Hu, carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude through the Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran hostilities stranded it for months, exposes how Western naval blockades and the US-Israeli war that began February 28 disrupt sovereign energy trade vital to Global South economies. Iran's tightening deals with Iraq and Pakistan to move oil and LNG assert regional control over the waterway against neo-colonial interference, bypassing failed international institutions that have enabled prolonged US dominance. Upcoming Trump-Xi talks and prior Iranian diplomacy in Beijing signal multipolar pushback by non-aligned states.

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    A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Gulf for more than two months due to the US-Iran war, LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data showed. The Very Large Crude Carrier Yuan Hua Hu …

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Key points: Bitcoin diverges from US stocks as Trump says Strait of Hormuz “open” Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD building on the week’s gains as the S&P 500 bounced from 7,696, its lowest level since Aug. 4. BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView This came after US president Donald Trump posted a map of the closed Strait of Hormuz oil route to Truth Social where it was labeled “new US territory.

” Both the US and Iran lay claim to control of Hormuz, with Trump threatening US ally Oman with military action over its plans to work with Iran on charging tolls to shipping traffic. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that further diplomacy with Iran was not on the agenda.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he wrote. S&P 500 one-day chart.

Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView As on Monday, oil avoided major volatility, with WTI crude down 1% at the time of writing at $84 per barrel. US government bonds continued to show strain, with the 30-year yield hitting 5.34%, its highest since January 2007.

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US 30-year bond yields one-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView BTC price faces crunch rebound test Updating X followers on BTC/USD, trader and analyst Aksel Kibar eyed the culmination of a potential reverse head-and-shoulders pattern at $62,300.

Related: Bitcoin price spike to $64.5K was ‘low-volume liquidity trap’: Analysis “If $BTCUSD is going to rebound, it has to come from here,” he argued on Monday. Kibar offered a $53,000 target in the event of the head-and-shoulders structure failing, with $76,000 a potential upside target should the rebound sustain.

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar on X.com Previously, Cointelegraph reported that underwater investors were contributing to Bitcoin’s inability to break higher. Its rebound to $64,500 also stopped short of an overhead trend line, the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA).

This moving average is now in place as resistance at $65,827.

Location: Strait of Hormuz
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
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Trump says no talks underway with Iran, Hormuz blockade remains in place US president says no discussions are taking place or planned with Tehran and reiterates that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains fully operational Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran and that no discussions are currently scheduled between the two countries.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also said the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains "in full force and effect." The president did not provide further details regarding US policy towards Iran or any potential future diplomatic engagement.

Trump's comments come amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed focus on security and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Location: Tehran
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
○ 1 source

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran had “won both the war and diplomacy,” claiming those who initially sought Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” later sought negotiations. Speaking at an event, Araghchi said Iran resisted for days against what he described as “the world’s largest apparent military,” alongside another army claiming military power and with the support of nearly all Western countries and some other states inside and outside the region, according to the Tasnim news agency.

“Those who were seeking unconditional surrender, shortly after the war began, begged for negotiations,” Araghchi said. He claimed Tehran initially rejected a ceasefire and continued fighting until reaching a point where the other side accepted a ceasefire and negotiations “on Iran’s terms.

” “We fought with strength, and we negotiated with strength,” he said, adding that many foreign ministers had told him: “You won both the war and diplomacy.” Araghchi’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump called on Iran on Monday to give up and “raise the white flag.

Location: Tehran
diplomacyUnverifiedUSIran
○ 1 source

- Iran demands US lift sanctions and return frozen assets to reopen Strait of Hormuz - Iran's Parliament Speaker warns closure of Strait continues until US ends military threats - Around 20% of global oil supply passes through the Strait, impacting energy security Iran has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US meets a set of conditions, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions and what Tehran describes as a US blockade and military threats.

Al-Arabiya English reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Trump administration must meet the conditions before Tehran considers reopening the strategic waterway. “Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Ghalibaf said.

Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. pic.twitter.com/fl2RrKnT1R— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 18, 2026 Ghalibaf also warned that Iran was prepared to respond more forcefully depending on the actions of its adversaries.

ALSO READ: 'We Control Hormuz': Trump To Declare Strait As US Territory? Here's What President Says The comments add a new condition to an already fragile diplomatic environment, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of concerns over global energy supplies.

Around one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes through the waterway, making any prolonged disruption a major risk for crude markets, shipping and energy security. Earlier, Press TV reported that Ghalibaf is scheduled to travel to Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level Iranian delegation for discussions with Iraqi leaders.

The talks are expected to cover regional developments and bilateral cooperation, including border security, counterterrorism, economic ties and implementation of existing agreements. Iraqi media have also reported that the agenda could include a proposal concerning Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit comes as regional governments grapple with the implications of continued disruption in one of the world's most important energy corridors. ALSO READ: Hormuz Tensions: Another Ship Hit By Unknown Projectile, Says UKMTO Centre The security situation in the waterway has also remained tense.

The UK's Maritime Trade Operations agency, or UKMTO, said a vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. “The Company Security Officer has reported that the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz,” UKMTO said.

The impact damaged the vessel's engine room and resulted in a crew casualty, the agency said. The remaining crew was being assisted by the Omani coastguard. Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

Location: Tehran