WASHINGTON'S MARITIME CORDON LEAKS: IRANIAN LPG AND JET FUEL SHIPMENTS SLIP THROUGH DESPITE US BLOCKADE

October 16, 2026

TEHRAN, OCTOBER 16, 2026: Iran has continued exporting limited quantities of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and jet fuel despite a US naval blockade targeting its petroleum trade, according to shipping intelligence and maritime security assessments. The shipments represent a narrow but significant channel for Iranian petroleum products to reach overseas markets, even as the blockade has sharply restricted the country’s crude oil exports.

Analysis by United Against Nuclear Iran, a US advocacy group that monitors Iranian tanker movements using shipping and satellite data, identified at least eight gas tankers carrying Iranian LPG that had departed the Gulf of Oman since mid-July. Separately, satellite imagery and analysis by maritime intelligence firm SynMax indicated that a tanker carrying Iranian jet fuel reached Myanmar in September.

The reported movements do not suggest that Iran has restored its former export capacity. Instead, they indicate that some petroleum products have continued moving through maritime routes despite Washington’s enforcement campaign. Six of the eight LPG tankers and the vessel carrying jet fuel were under US sanctions for transporting Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products, according to an analysis of vessel records and sanctions.

Maritime security sources said Iran had concealed some cargoes among an increasing volume of ship-to-ship transfers conducted by other Gulf producers off Oman. Some Iranian LPG tankers reportedly transferred cargo near the Omani coastal towns of Shinas and Sohar, while others waited in the Gulf of Oman before proceeding past the area where US Central Command said the blockade was positioned.

The LPG shipments were estimated at approximately 4.1 million barrels. Much of the cargo was reportedly transported towards Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits, where further ship-to-ship transfers took place, with China considered a likely final destination for some shipments.

However, analysts cautioned against interpreting these movements as evidence of a systematic Iranian strategy to defeat the blockade. The limited number of vessels that have reportedly passed through contrasts with the much larger volume of Iranian petroleum shipments that US forces have redirected.

Washington maintains that its blockade remains effective. The US military said that, during the three months following the blockade’s reimposition, four commercial vessels had been disabled and 135 ships had been turned around. A US military official also said that the passage of a vessel did not automatically mean it had evaded the blockade, explaining that ships were assessed individually and that some could be permitted passage for humanitarian reasons or operational considerations.

The blockade was first imposed on Iran-related oil exports on April 13, lifted in June after a draft understanding was reached with Tehran, and reimposed on July 14 following the collapse of that agreement. Washington has reinforced the maritime restrictions with additional sanctions targeting vessels involved in transporting Iranian crude oil, petrochemicals and petroleum products.

The US Treasury Department has questioned shipping data suggesting that vessels had evaded the blockade, warning that ships could manipulate their reported locations or use false identities during loading. The department has maintained that the combined blockade and sanctions campaign is placing severe economic pressure on the Iranian government.

The pressure on Iran’s energy sector is evident in its crude oil trade. According to Kpler, Iranian crude exports fell to zero in September, marking the first month without a recorded shipment since the analytics firm began tracking the country in 2013.

Nevertheless, the continued movement of LPG and jet fuel illustrates that restricting crude oil exports does not necessarily eliminate every channel for petroleum products. Analysts suggest that deteriorating economic conditions and the availability of surplus jet fuel at Iranian refineries could encourage Tehran to take greater risks to move selected cargoes abroad.

Iran’s government and Myanmar’s military-backed government did not respond to requests for comment on the reported shipments. Myanmar has previously faced targeted US sanctions over its jet-fuel industry, imposed in 2023 amid allegations concerning military airstrikes against civilians, which Myanmar’s military government has denied.

The latest findings underscore the continuing contest between Washington’s efforts to isolate Iran economically and Tehran’s limited attempts to preserve overseas outlets for its petroleum products. Although the blockade appears to have severely constrained Iranian crude exports, the reported LPG and jet-fuel movements suggest that its enforcement has not entirely stopped every shipment from reaching international waters and potential buyers.