Sanctioned Russian Yacht and Tankers Traverse Blockaded Strait of Hormuz

The Nord, a 142-meter superyacht valued at $500 million and linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov, transited the Strait of Hormuz between April 25 and 27, 2026. Departing Dubai and arriving in Muscat, Oman, the vessel navigated a waterway where the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has restricted traffic and charged passage fees up to $2 million. The transit occurred during a fragile ceasefire in a conflict that began on February 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. While the U.S. Navy imposed a blockade on Iranian ports on April 13, sources close to Mordashov claim neither the U.S. nor Iran objected to the yacht's movement, labeling it a civilian transit.

Other strategic shipments also breached the blockade. The LNG tanker Mubaraz, operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, became the first fully loaded natural gas shipment to exit the Persian Gulf since the war began. Additionally, the Japanese-linked supertanker Idemitsu Maru carried two million barrels of Saudi crude through the strait on April 27 after securing Iranian authorization.

Diplomatic tensions remain high. In St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to strengthen their strategic partnership. Simultaneously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected an Iranian offer to reopen the straits in exchange for ending the U.S. blockade, with President Donald Trump expressing dissatisfaction with Iran's peace proposals.