Chinese Supertanker Crosses Hormuz With 2 Million Barrels After 2-Month Delay as Trump Downplays Xi's Iran Role
Updated
Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 13
Chinese Supertanker Crosses Hormuz With 2 Million Barrels After 2-Month Delay as Trump Downplays Xi's Iran Role
9 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · May 13
Yuan Hua Hu cleared the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday with nearly 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah Medium crude after being stranded inside the Gulf since early March, then anchored off the Gulf of Oman.
The COSCO-operated, Sinopec-chartered VLCC is only the third known Chinese oil tanker to make the passage since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on Feb. 28, underscoring how sharply traffic has been constrained.
Iran has tightened its grip on the waterway in recent days, according to sources, cutting oil and LNG shipping deals with Iraq and Pakistan as other countries explore similar arrangements that could deepen Tehran's control.
The transit came as Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping, though Trump said he did not need China's help on Iran and insisted the US would prevail "peacefully or otherwise."
More than a month after a fragile ceasefire, Washington still demands Iran end its nuclear program and loosen its chokehold on Hormuz, while Tehran seeks war compensation, an end to the US blockade and a halt to fighting across the region.
As Iran plans to charge tolls, is free passage through the world's most vital oil chokepoint coming to an end?
Will the Trump-Xi summit bring peace, or will China's diplomacy only secure passage for its own tankers?
China’s Yuan Hua Hu Breaks US Naval Blockade: The 2026 Strait of Hormuz Crisis and Global Oil Shock
Overview
In May 2026, the Chinese supertanker Yuan Hua Hu boldly navigated the Strait of Hormuz, carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude and anchoring near the US Navy blockade. This direct challenge came amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran, which began after President Trump ordered an attack on Iran in late February, aiming to lower energy costs. The conflict quickly escalated, with military operations and deadly retaliatory strikes, plunging the region into unresolved war. The Yuan Hua Hu’s passage highlights the high-stakes struggle over vital oil routes and the growing tensions between global powers in the Gulf.