Despite the US blockade, a superyacht linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close ally, sanctioned billionaire Alexey Mordashov, crossed through  the blockaded Strait of Hormuz over the April 25-27 weekend.

The safe navigation for the Russian luxury sailing vessel, Nord, shows the elite privileges amid escalating US-Iran tensions in the blockaded region. The professionally-crewed motor 142-metre luxury yacht ship passed through the Strait after navigating through Dubai to Muscat, Oman, over the weekend, making it one of the few private vessels to cross the transit.

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Mordashov, chairman of steel giant Severstal and under US/UK/EU sanctions since Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion, denies ownership, however it’s registered to a firm tied to his wife. After crossing the Hormuz Strait, the superyacht ‘Nord’ arrived at Al Mouj, a marina in Oman’s capital Muscat.

Iran had engaged with Russia in high-level talks this week as its standoff with the US over the strait’s re-opening continues. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the flashpoints in the current geopolitical tension in the West Asia.

Read Also: IRGC Seizes 2 Vessels In The Strait Of Hormuz; One India-Bound Ship Being Taken To Iran