US Media: Shadow Fleet Transports Oil Between China and Iran, US Interceptions Threaten Tehran's Funding
The Wall Street Journal reports that the US military's interception of a "shadow fleet" tanker transporting Iranian oil to China could cut off a crucial source of funding for the Tehran government.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 08:41
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 09:01 (20 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 09:32 (30 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency reporter Liao Han-yuan, New York 22nd) The Wall Street Journal reported today that under international sanctions and embargoes, Iranian crude oil has long been transported low-profile to China via a shadow fleet. The US military recently intercepted a tanker in the Indian Ocean. If the operations continue, it may threaten the crucial funding sources of the authorities in Tehran.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 22nd that the US has long sanctioned and embargoed Iranian oil. However, Iran, China, and middlemen have for years used aging tankers with falsified records to transfer cargo at sea, evading inspections and legal supervision. On the 21st, in the Indian Ocean waters between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the US military boarded the oil tanker Tifani, which frequently travels between China and Iran.
Raymond Powell, director of the "SeaLight" project at Stanford University, who has long tracked China's maritime operations, said this is like driving on the same road every day; you can always see the same vehicles speeding in the high-occupancy lane, and eventually, one of them gets pulled over.
China is the number one customer for Iranian crude oil, and the Tifani only travels between China and Iran, making it one of the vessels in the oil-transporting "shadow fleet." The US advocacy group "United Against Nuclear Iran" (UANI) points out that the shadow fleet numbers over 500 vessels.
This embargo-evading transport system continuously transfers large amounts of Iranian crude oil on the high seas, serving as a buffer for Iranian crude exports. If the US continues to take action against this maritime supply chain, it could cut off a vital funding source for the Iranian regime.
Maritime data firm Vortexa noted that Iran currently has over 160 million barrels of crude oil and liquid natural gas stored on offshore tankers. Emma Li, a China oil analyst at Vortexa, believes that at least 140 million barrels of this are located outside the Gulf blockade zone.
Data from "United Against Nuclear Iran" shows that the 1,080-foot, bright orange Tifani loaded oil at Iran's Kharg Island on April 6 and sailed east, where it encountered the US ship. "SeaLight" data indicates that since late 2022, this tanker has sailed to Chinese ports at least 10 times.
In 2025, the US State Department placed the Tifani on the embargoed vessel list. The Tifani has been involved in at-sea oil transfers with other listed vessels in the waters east of Singapore. Maritime experts analyze that the waters off southern Malaysia are the center of operations for the crude oil shadow fleet. After passing through the Strait of Malacca, vessels enter an area with relatively stable sea conditions and conduct transfers outside Malaysia's sovereign waters.
This is why, on the official records of China's General Administration of Customs, there have been no imports of crude oil from Iran since 2022. However, analysts estimate that China imports about 1.4 million barrels of crude oil from Iran every day, accounting for 12% of total imports. Most of China's imported crude oil is marked as originating from Malaysia and Indonesia, but over the past 3 months, China imported 93 million and 77 million barrels from these two countries respectively, numbers that exceed the production capacity of both nations.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 22nd that the US has long sanctioned and embargoed Iranian oil. However, Iran, China, and middlemen have for years used aging tankers with falsified records to transfer cargo at sea, evading inspections and legal supervision. On the 21st, in the Indian Ocean waters between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the US military boarded the oil tanker Tifani, which frequently travels between China and Iran.
Raymond Powell, director of the "SeaLight" project at Stanford University, who has long tracked China's maritime operations, said this is like driving on the same road every day; you can always see the same vehicles speeding in the high-occupancy lane, and eventually, one of them gets pulled over.
China is the number one customer for Iranian crude oil, and the Tifani only travels between China and Iran, making it one of the vessels in the oil-transporting "shadow fleet." The US advocacy group "United Against Nuclear Iran" (UANI) points out that the shadow fleet numbers over 500 vessels.
This embargo-evading transport system continuously transfers large amounts of Iranian crude oil on the high seas, serving as a buffer for Iranian crude exports. If the US continues to take action against this maritime supply chain, it could cut off a vital funding source for the Iranian regime.
Maritime data firm Vortexa noted that Iran currently has over 160 million barrels of crude oil and liquid natural gas stored on offshore tankers. Emma Li, a China oil analyst at Vortexa, believes that at least 140 million barrels of this are located outside the Gulf blockade zone.
Data from "United Against Nuclear Iran" shows that the 1,080-foot, bright orange Tifani loaded oil at Iran's Kharg Island on April 6 and sailed east, where it encountered the US ship. "SeaLight" data indicates that since late 2022, this tanker has sailed to Chinese ports at least 10 times.
In 2025, the US State Department placed the Tifani on the embargoed vessel list. The Tifani has been involved in at-sea oil transfers with other listed vessels in the waters east of Singapore. Maritime experts analyze that the waters off southern Malaysia are the center of operations for the crude oil shadow fleet. After passing through the Strait of Malacca, vessels enter an area with relatively stable sea conditions and conduct transfers outside Malaysia's sovereign waters.
This is why, on the official records of China's General Administration of Customs, there have been no imports of crude oil from Iran since 2022. However, analysts estimate that China imports about 1.4 million barrels of crude oil from Iran every day, accounting for 12% of total imports. Most of China's imported crude oil is marked as originating from Malaysia and Indonesia, but over the past 3 months, China imported 93 million and 77 million barrels from these two countries respectively, numbers that exceed the production capacity of both nations.