While traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a standstill amid a double blockade by both the US and Iran, a ship owned by sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov managed to make it through. It’s not clear whether Iran granted the yacht permission to travel between Dubai, in the UAE, and the Omani capital Muscat. Nonetheless, its ability to transit the Strait highlights Tehran’s relationship with Moscow – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi heaped praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin just yesterday during a visit to the Kremlin. Meanwhile, US-Iran negotiations over the reopening of Hormuz continue to hit a wall.
Hard Numbers
Hard number: A superyacht gets through Hormuz
Natalie Johnson
By Zac WeiszApril 28, 2026
Zac Weisz
Zac reports on global affairs, covering everything from battles between judicial branches and political leaders, to conflicts in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. With the Trump administration keen to alter the world order, though, there’s a heavy emphasis right now on US politics – an area with which he is intimately familiar. Prior to joining GZERO, Zac was a senior national politics correspondent at National Journal, where he covered the 2024 presidential election from its inception to the dramatic finish, as well as major congressional actions during the Biden administration. Prior to journalism, Zac worked as an economic analyst for Oxford Economics, calculating the impact of various tax policies, and of Britain’s exit from the European Union. Born in London, he currently resides in New York City, where you can find him playing football (the original version) or watching it on television while attempting to cook up a storm.
