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A superyacht owned by Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov successfully navigated the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after undergoing maintenance in Dubai, according to a source close to Mordashov on Tuesday. Neither Iran nor the United States raised objections to its passage.
It remains unclear how the $500 million, multi-deck vessel, named Nord, was granted permission to traverse this vital waterway on Saturday amid heightened US-Iran tensions, where traffic has been heavily restricted since February. The yacht, flying a Russian flag, transited the strait along an approved route that complies with international maritime laws.
“Iran did not interfere with the yacht’s movement because it is a civilian vessel from a friendly country conducting a peaceful transit. The United States also did not question the yacht’s passage, as it did not stop at Iranian ports and has no ties to Iran,” the source explained.
Currently, only a limited number of mainly commercial ships pass through this crucial Gulf entrance daily, as Washington and Tehran maintain an uneasy ceasefire. This is a significant drop from the usual 125 to 140 daily crossings before hostilities escalated on February 28. In response, the U.S. has implemented a blockade on Iranian ports.
Russia has longstanding ties with Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi traveled to St. Petersburg on Monday to meet with President Vladimir Putin after participating in peace talks in Pakistan and Oman over the weekend.
Since crossing the strait, Nord has been anchored near Oman’s coast, based on data from the London Stock Exchange Group, since Sunday.
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