Woofun AI reports that the U.S. military has overseen dozens of clandestine ship-to-ship oil transfer operations to maintain energy export flows in the Gulf region. These maneuvers, conducted on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz, utilized aerial drones, surface unmanned vessels, and helicopters to guide fleets to waiting tankers, employing a method long associated with Iranian sanctions evasion.

Satellite imagery and shipping data indicate the operations commenced in early May, involving at least 92 vessels. Specific transfer sites were identified off the coast of Fujairah in the UAE and outside the port of Sohar in Oman. As of June 11, satellite images captured 17 pairs of vessels simultaneously engaged in crude oil transfers at these locations. Sources confirmed that an Apache helicopter, which was shot down by Iran on June 6 leading to subsequent U.S. retaliatory strikes, was involved in this mission. On the day of the incident, six pairs of tankers were clustered in a small area outside Sohar port.