The tanker left Qatar's Ras Laffan for Port Qasim, Pakistan, carrying up to 211,986 cubic metres under a Qatar-Pakistan government deal approved by Iran.
A successful passage would be the first by a Qatari LNG tanker since the war on Iran, as Islamabad seeks relief from an urgent gas shortage.
Iran previously halted two Qatari LNG tankers in April, while attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar's LNG export capacity and disrupted 12.8 million tonnes a year for years.
With China mediating, is America's long-standing dominance in the Middle East coming to an end?
Can advanced navies win a war of attrition against Iran's mass-produced kamikaze drones?
69 Days of Hormuz: How the 2026 Blockade Upended Global LNG and Energy Security
Overview
The April 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, despite Qatar’s efforts to prevent escalation. Iran quickly retaliated across all Gulf Cooperation Council states, including symbolic and structural strikes on Qatar, which hosts major U.S. military and LNG facilities. This led to immediate fears about the security of vital energy flows. The crisis triggered a near-total blockade of the Strait, severely disrupting global oil and LNG shipments, stranding vessels, and forcing energy markets to adapt. The ongoing instability has exposed deep vulnerabilities in global energy security and is driving urgent shifts in supply strategies and risk management worldwide.