A superyacht linked to a sanctioned Kremlin billionaire has slipped through the Strait of Hormuz despite a near-total shutdown of traffic by Iran.
The vessel, named Nord, is understood to be tied to Russian steel tycoon Alexey Mordashov.
It was tracked making a rare passage through the waterway over the weekend - a route now largely avoided as the US-Iran standoff continues to rattle global shipping.
Shipping data shows the 465ft yacht, reportedly worth more than £368million - departed a marina in Dubai at around 2pm on Friday.
It then crossed the volatile waterway early Saturday before arriving in Muscat on Sunday morning, according to tracking platform MarineTraffic.
How the lavish, multi-deck vessel secured clearance to navigate the strait remains unclear.
Since February, Iran has imposed sweeping restrictions on movement through the corridor, which typically carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply.
A representative of steel magnate Mordashov declined to comment on Monday.
Only a handful of ships - mostly commercial carriers - have been making the journey each day as the uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran holds.
Before the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, between 125 and 140 vessels would pass through daily.
The United States has responded with a blockade targeting Iranian ports, further choking maritime traffic in the region.
Moscow and Tehran, long considered strategic allies, have deepened ties in recent years - most notably through a 2025 agreement boosting intelligence and security cooperation.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi travelled to Russia on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin, following mediation discussions held in Pakistan and Oman over the weekend.
Mordashov, widely regarded as being close to Putin, is not officially listed as the yacht's owner.
However, shipping data and Russian corporate filings from 2025 indicate the vessel was registered in 2022 to a Russian company owned by his wife.
That firm is based in the industrial town of Cherepovets, where Mordashov's steel giant Severstal is also registered.
The oligarch was hit with sanctions from both the United States and the European Union following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, due to his alleged links to the Kremlin.
Nord, one of the largest yachts on the planet, boasts 20 staterooms along with a swimming pool, helipad and even a submarine, according to industry publication Superyacht Times.