DID Press: A new Reuters investigation reveals that the territorial waters of Oman and the United Arab Emirates have recently been used as staging grounds for covert US military-linked oil transfer operations.
According to the report, since early May, Washington has been moving oil cargoes ship-to-ship in the region using dozens of vessels, under the cover of drones and military helicopters deployed to monitor the activity.
Sources cited by Reuters say the operations are being conducted with coordination and tacit approval from authorities in Muscat and Abu Dhabi, with the objective of ensuring uninterrupted US energy flows amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
The report also notes that the techniques used in these transfers resemble methods previously criticized and sanctioned by Washington when employed by other regional actors.
Analysts say the scale of the operation and the involvement of naval assets raise questions about the role of Oman and the UAE in facilitating such activities, as well as broader implications for regional energy security and maritime governance.