Chinese tanker passes through the Strait of Hormuz despite the new US naval blockade of Iran

On Monday, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, further exacerbating the six-week-old tension with Tehran following the failure of peace talks over the weekend. Just hours later, a Chinese tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz in a clear refusal to comply with the blockade regime – a development that threatens to escalate into a wider confrontation between Washington and Beijing.

The blockade came into effect

President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday on the "Truth Social" platform, after prolonged talks between Vice President J.D. Vance and an Iranian delegation failed on Saturday in Islamabad. According to the decisions of the White House, the blockade came into effect on Monday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The US Central Command announced that the operation would be applied "impartially to ships of all countries entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas" in the Persian and Gulf of Oman. Vessels transiting the strait to ports in third countries will not be stopped. In a separate post, Trump warned that any ship violating the blockade would be "IMMEDIATELY DESTROYED using the same methods applied against drug traffickers at sea".

According to AP, at least two tankers approaching the strait have reversed course shortly after the start of the blockade. Iran, for its part, has stated that if obstacles are created to its navigation, "no port in the Gulf will be safe".

The Chinese "Rich Starry" breaks the blockade

Despite the show of force, data on ship traffic from LSEG, MarineTraffic and Kpler showed that the "Rich Starry" – a Chinese tanker, already subject to US sanctions and operated by the company "Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd" – managed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first vessel to leave the Persian Gulf after the start of the blockade.

This is a medium-range class tanker, which was previously known as "Full Star" and was included in the sanctions list in 2023 due to its participation in schemes to circumvent energy sanctions against Iran. At the time of passage, it was transporting about 250,000 barrels of methanol loaded in the port of Hamriya in the United Arab Emirates, and the crew on board was entirely of Chinese citizens.

Beijing warns Washington

The Chinese Minister of Defense, Admiral Dong Jun, reacted sharply to the actions of the US. "Our ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz," he said on Monday. "We have trade and energy agreements with Iran that we will abide by and implement, and we expect others not to interfere in our affairs."

The spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiankun, chose a more moderate tone, defining the strait as an "important international maritime route" and calling on all countries "to remain calm and exercise restraint". According to Reuters, China, which relies heavily on oil supplies from the Persian Gulf, views the blockade as a direct threat to its energy supply chains.

The dilemma for the White House

The resulting confrontation poses an acute question to the White House: whether the US should insist that the blockade be applied to Chinese ships as well, at the risk of leading to a direct clash with Beijing, or make exceptions that would undermine the entire operation. The decision along this line will determine not only the next moves of Washington and China, but also the security of key energy routes in the Gulf in the coming weeks.