Are Chinese Ships Running Trump’s Hormuz Blockade?

Two Chinese oil tankers appeared to traverse the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, though one of them stopped and turned around after crossing the strait.

Tankers have already crossed the strait, including two Chinese-owned vessels: Rich Starry and Murlikishan, according to marinetraffic.com. The tankers weren’t violating the rules of the U.S. blockade, as they did not come from an Iranian port, according to a statement made by U.S. Central Command on X, but the post didn’t say whether sanctioned ships would be stopped.

The Rich Starry dropped anchor after clearing the strait and turned to head back toward the strait, as of this writing, according to data from marinetraffic.com. It is unclear whether the U.S. Navy would allow the Rich Starry, which is owned by a Chinese company that is sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, to proceed.

Rich Starry is ownedby Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd, which is both a debarred entity and a sanctioned entity, according to information from MagicPort.  Specifically, the company is subject to the Iran-focused sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control under Executive Order 13949