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.

Actors involved

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Sources

CurrentsAPI
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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