Dark Transits Rewire Gulf Oil Trade Amid Iran War
Amid the Iran‑led conflict, Middle Eastern producers backed by the US and regional partners are using escorted nighttime ‘dark’ transits with AIS turned off to move crude from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman, shifting risk away from shippers and onto governments. This tactic, along with rerouting flows via pipelines and a ramp-up in global production, has kept crude moving and prices elevated while stocks fall and refining hubs face strain, buying time for a broader political solution to the war and the strait’s chokepoint.
