The United States military has conducted covert ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Gulf, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters to bypass sanctions and keep energy exports flowing, according to a report from an open-source intelligence channel.
The report, published by a widely-followed open-source intelligence channel, describes a secret U.S. military operation involving ship-to-ship transfers of oil in the Gulf. Drones and helicopters are used to manage the logistics of moving crude oil between tankers, a method designed to circumvent ongoing sanctions.
The operation extends a thread The Zioneer has been tracking since early June. On June 11, President Trump disclosed that over 100 million barrels of oil had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in a secret operation, at a rate of roughly 2.5 million barrels per day. A Reuters report on June 16 detailed a covert large-scale naval operation the U.S. has been running for weeks to keep Gulf oil exports flowing past the Iranian blockade of the strait. This latest report fills in additional tactical details — specifically the use of drones and helicopters for ship-to-ship transfers — which had not been previously confirmed in those accounts.
The authenticity and scope of the operation remain difficult to verify independently. The report comes from a single, albeit well-established, the source. No U.S. official has confirmed the use of drones in this specific manner for oil transfers.
2 developments
- DevelopingUS drones reportedly conducting intelligence-gathering flights over the Persian Gulf
- StrongMultiple US aircraft conduct aerial refueling maneuvers over Persian Gulf states
- StrongUS military reportedly stopped oil tankers breaching blockade in Gulf of Oman
- DevelopingUS reportedly boosts intelligence and aerial refueling flights over the Persian and Oman Gulfs
Source and signal
- Open-source intake