Pakistan reaches agreement with Iran on passage of Qatari tanker through Strait of Hormuz

Lead

A QatarEnergy-controlled liquefied natural gas tanker has exited the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first such departure visible on ship-tracking data since July 11. The vessel, Al Areesh, sailed out of the waterway overnight on July 29 and is currently heading to Port Qasim, Pakistan, with an estimated arrival date of July 31, according to data from analytics firms Kpler and LSEG, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Separately, TASS reported, citing Bloomberg, that Pakistan reached an agreement with Iran to ensure the passage of at least one Qatari LNG tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. The report said the Al Areesh, which had been idling in the Persian Gulf since early July after loading at Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal, passed through the strait on Thursday morning with its transponder switched on and is en route to Pakistan.

Coverage Comparison

The two outlets approached the story from different angles. The Jerusalem Post focused on the vessel's movement and broader shipping data, noting that twelve commodity ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with six entering and six exiting, according to Kpler. It also reported that nineteen commodity ships passed through the Bab al-Mandab strait on Wednesday, with LSEG putting the number at 26.

TASS, by contrast, centered its report on the diplomatic agreement between Pakistan and Iran, attributing the arrangement to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg. The Russian state news agency also contextualized the development within Pakistan's fuel shortage, which it says has been acute since the start of the US operation against Iran.

Key Claims

• The Al Areesh tanker, loaded at Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal around July 4-6, exited the Strait of Hormuz overnight on July 29, according to Kpler and LSEG data, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. TASS reported that the vessel passed through on Thursday morning.
• The tanker is currently heading to Port Qasim, Pakistan, with an estimated arrival of July 31, according to LSEG data reported by the Jerusalem Post.
• The departure is the first time a QatarEnergy-controlled LNG tanker has exited the strait since the Al Rekayyat was struck in early July, according to the Jerusalem Post.
• Pakistan reached an agreement with Iran to ensure the passage of at least one Qatari LNG tanker, a claim carried by TASS and attributed to Bloomberg sources. The agreement could extend to other shipments, one source said.
• Pakistan has faced an acute fuel shortage since the start of the US operation against Iran, according to TASS. The country relies heavily on fuel from Qatar, and previous supply disruptions have caused rolling blackouts.
• Since February, Pakistan has spent over $400 million purchasing LNG on spot markets to replace supplies from Qatar, TASS reported, citing Bloomberg.

Perspectives

TASS (Russian state agency): Emphasizes the Pakistan-Iran agreement as a diplomatic response to fuel shortages caused by the US operation against Iran, highlighting Pakistan's reliance on Qatari fuel and the economic cost of supply disruptions.

Jerusalem Post: Focuses on the empirical shipping data, noting the significance of the Al Areesh's exit as the first since July 11, and provides statistical context on commodity ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, without attributing the event to any specific diplomatic cause.