-- Three vessels under US sanctions have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports began on April 13, according to shipping data cited by Reuters Tuesday.
The Iran-linked tankers were not heading to Iranian ports, hence were not covered by the blockade that began at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, according to the report.
LSEG data cited by the news agency showed that the latest vessel moving through the Strait was Panama-flagged Peace Gulf. The medium-range tanker was heading to the UAE's Hamriyah port.
Kpler data reportedly showed that Peace Gulf typically moves Iranian naphtha to other Middle Eastern ports for export to Asia.
Prior to this, handy tanker Murlikishan, formerly known as MKA and reportedly involved in the Russian and Iranian oil trade, was seen heading to Iraq to load fuel oil on April 16.
China-bound tanker Rich Starry was the first to exit the Strait on Tuesday, having loaded 250,000 barrels of methanol from the UAE's Hamriyah port.
Both the tanker and its owner Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping were placed under US sanctions for links to the Iranian oil trade.
The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, responsible for enforcing economic and trade sanctions, did not immediately respond to' request for comment.