News Desk (MNN); An oil tanker carrying crude oil for Pakistan has successfully passed through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz despite heightened tensions in the region, according to an international report.
Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing ship-tracking data, that the oil tanker Karachi, operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, completed its passage through the narrow waterway on Sunday.
The Pakistan-flagged Aframax tanker was observed early Monday near the Omani port city of Sohar after safely exiting the strait, the report added.
According to the tracking data, the vessel, which was built in 2022, passed close to Iran’s Larak Island before moving eastward along the Iranian coastline and eventually leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday evening.
Bloomberg noted that officials from the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation and Pakistan’s Ministry of Petroleum did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the tanker’s journey.
Meanwhile, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed claimed that Iran allowed Pakistan’s tanker Karachi to pass through the strategic waterway after the oil shipment was paid for in Chinese currency.
In a message posted on social media platform X, the senator said the development indicated a shift in regional dynamics.
He stated that Iran had permitted the first oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz — Pakistan’s Karachi tanker — after the payment for the shipment was made in Chinese yuan. According to him, the move reflected changing regional realities in which Iran was asserting greater influence.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical maritime routes in the world, with roughly 20 percent of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passing through the narrow waterway.
However, shipping activity in the region has declined in recent days due to rising tensions after Iran issued retaliatory warnings following military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.
Iranian officials have warned that vessels linked to the United States and its allies could be targeted, while assuring that commercial ships belonging to friendly countries would not be harmed.
The situation has raised concerns about possible disruptions to global energy supplies and potential economic consequences if the vital shipping route is affected.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has urged allied countries, including China, to support efforts aimed at ensuring the safety of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, several nations including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Japan have so far taken a cautious approach and have not committed military support for operations in the region.
