In an effort to preserve a vital source of income while under Israeli attack, Iran is supplying crude oil by loading tankers one at a time and relocating floating oil storage facilities closer to China, two vessel tracking companies told Reuters.
Iran, which utilizes a shadow fleet of tankers to hide its origin and evade U.S. sanctions restored in 2018 over its nuclear program, faces a new challenge in the battle with Israel that began last week.
China is the primary destination of Iran’s crude exports, which are the third-largest producer in OPEC. According to the trackers, the situation with Israel has not yet significantly impacted loadings.
