Qatar LNG tanker starts Hormuz crossing as Trump pushes reopening

An LNG tanker started to exit the Persian Gulf, with all other observable shipping through the Strait of Hormuz at a standstill following recent clashes. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, sought to reopen the vital energy channel at all costs.

Tensions escalated at the start of this week, with both sides exchanging fire as American warships escorted merchant vessels before the abrupt suspension of “Project Freedom” on Tuesday. Since then, no vessel has been observed completing the transit through the waterway, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. 

A Qatar-linked liquefied natural gas carrier that loaded at Ras Laffan earlier this month began its outbound journey Saturday morning. The ship is now navigating the Tehran-approved northern route near Qeshm and Larak islands, tracking data show. 

If the vessel makes it through, this would be Qatar’s first known LNG export via Hormuz since the war started in late February. The tanker is signaling Port Qasim, Pakistan, as its destination.

Major Persian Gulf producers have moved some crude cargoes across with transponders turned off since Iran effectively closed the chokepoint about 10 weeks ago. But the flows are only a tiny fraction of shipments from the world’s top oil-producing region before the war.

With surging fuel prices in the U.S., Trump’s new strategy puts nuclear and missile talks on the back burner to emphasize the reopening of Hormuz. He said the U.S. could revert to “Project Freedom Plus” if diplomatic progress fails to materialize, while Iran was yet to respond to his latest proposal.

Recent clashes, including U.S. strikes on two empty Iranian oil tankers, have further tested a monthlong ceasefire, with Tehran calling the strikes a violation of the agreement.

Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament is preparing a legal framework for the Strait of Hormuz that could formalize its control over the waterway, signaling that tensions are unlikely to ease in the near term.

Widespread AIS signal spoofing has clouded the picture, making independent verification of ship traffic increasingly difficult.

U.S. Central Command reported on X that its forces have disabled four commercial vessels and redirected 57 others. The operations are part of a targeted effort to block ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports.

The U.S. naval presence may also be distorting the picture. Iran-linked vessels entering or leaving the Gulf could be switching off AIS signals to avoid detection, making it harder to track flows in real time. As a result, transit counts may later be revised upward when ships reappear further from high-risk waters.

Even before the U.S. barred movement to and from Iranian ports, it was common for Iran-linked vessels to go dark when approaching Hormuz. Signals were often not restored until well into the Strait of Malacca - around 13 days’ sailing from Iran’s Kharg Island.

With assistance from Stephen Stapczynski.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 4:43 PM.