Mike Baker

Once clear of the most dangerous areas, the oil would be transferred to massive, very large crude carriers, or VLCCs, because of course there's an acronym, which would then carry the cargo onward to buyers in Asia and elsewhere.

One particularly notable detail involves that US Apache helicopter that Iran shot down on the 9th of June.

Reuters reports that the aircraft was involved in this broader effort, although the exact nature of its role remains unclear.

A US defense official denied that Central Command forces were participating directly in offshore oil transfer operations, but Reuters says multiple sources described extensive American monitoring and coordination throughout the process.

Now, part of what makes this story so interesting is the, well, the irony.

For years, the U.S.

has criticized Iran, Russia, North Korea, and others for operating so-called shadow fleets, networks of ships that often travel with tracking systems disabled and conduct offshore transfers in order to avoid sanctions and scrutiny.

Now, according to Reuters, Washington appears to have adopted some of those same methods, not to evade sanctions, but to work around Iranian regime efforts to destabilize the strait and also to keep energy supplies moving.

As one observer noted to Reuters, the U.S.

is effectively borrowing tactics pioneered by the same countries whose shipping practices it spent years condemning.

The broader objective appears straightforward, prevent a global energy shock while avoiding a direct military confrontation with every vessel attempting to leave the Gulf.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently acknowledged that the U.S.

military has been helping move roughly 7 million barrels of oil per day out of the Persian Gulf, though he did not provide any operational details.

Now, the question is whether this elaborate workaround will still be necessary.

Both Washington and Tehran say the Strait of Hormuz will reopen under the new agreement.

Oil prices have already fallen sharply on expectations that normal traffic could eventually, that being the key word, resume.

But until insurers, shipping companies, and tanker operators are convinced that the waterway is truly safe,

the world's energy markets may remain dependent on workarounds and shadow shipping operations.

All right, coming up next, a devastating military aviation accident in California.

A B-52 crashes moments after takeoff, leaving eight crew members dead and investigators searching for an explanation.