# Covert oil flows via Hormuz keep prices stable despite war risks 2026-08-16T19:50:40+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Middle Eastern oil producers are covertly ferrying large volumes of crude through the Strait of Hormuz, helping keep global prices in check even as the Iran war continues. Livemint.com reports that the shuttle trade, which involves moving oil undetected to tankers in the Gulf of Oman, is running at full tilt despite recent attacks on vessels. The volumes are estimated to be higher than 4 million barrels a day, far below the pre-war rate of about 20 million barrels a day. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said 9 million barrels crossed Hormuz in the past week, surprising many traders. The Times of India notes that oil prices held steady on Monday, with Brent crude at $88.89 per barrel and WTI at $82.57. However, vessel movements through the Strait nearly halted over the weekend: Kpler data showed only five commodity vessels crossed on Saturday and none on Sunday, compared with 31 the previous weekend. Iran and the US remain at odds over talks to reopen the strait. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran has not decided whether to resume negotiations, while US President Donald Trump asked Americans to accept higher gasoline prices during the conflict. The UAE's state oil giant Adnoc confirmed that 23 of its vessels have been attacked while transiting Hormuz since the conflict began, resulting in one fatality and 20 injuries. Despite the risks, Adnoc has sold about 135 million barrels of crude to buyers worldwide and issued another round of sales last week. The covert shipments, combined with pipeline workarounds, stockpile releases, and demand reductions, have limited the economic hit from the war, preventing a feared spike to $150 oil. ## Coverage - livemint.com - timesofindia.indiatimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T02:43:09+00:00. Tags: Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., Brent crude, Chris Wright, Iran, Strait of Hormuz, United Arab Emirates Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/covert-mideast-oil-flows-keep-global-prices-in-check-despite-iran-war/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/covert-mideast-oil-flows-keep-global-prices-in-check-despite-iran-war/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/