The superyacht Nord, a 142-metre luxury vessel valued at more than $500 million and linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov, has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world's most strategically vital shipping lanes — despite an ongoing blockade that has brought maritime traffic through the waterway to a fraction of its normal levels. The yacht travelled from Dubai to Muscat, Oman, over the weekend, arriving at the Al Mouj marina in the Omani capital on Sunday morning.
A source close to Mordashov said the transit was permitted because neither Iran nor the United States objected. Sailing under a Russian flag, the yacht followed an approved route in compliance with international maritime law. "Iran did not interfere with the movement of the yacht, as it is a civilian vessel of a friendly country conducting a peaceful transit," the source said. "The American side also raised no questions, as it did not call at Iranian ports and has no connection to Iran." The vessel's tracked route does not indicate any stop in Iran, and the US-defined blockade perimeter begins further east of the yacht's last reported position.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the entrance to the Persian Gulf connecting it to the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world's most critical chokepoints — roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass through it. Traffic has been severely restricted since late February, when Iran began limiting shipping through the strait in response to US and Israeli military strikes. Washington subsequently announced its forces would intercept vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports. Only a handful of mainly merchant ships have been able to transit daily, compared to a pre-war average of 125 to 140 passages.
Mordashov, whose fortune derives largely from Severstal, Russia's largest steel and mining company, is estimated by Forbes to be worth around $37 billion, making him the wealthiest Russian national on its list. He has been targeted by Western sanctions — including from the US, UK and European Union — since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Nord is formally registered to a firm owned by his wife. The yacht's passage comes amid active diplomacy between Moscow and Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Monday, hailing a "strategic partnership" and welcoming Russia's support for diplomacy.
The episode highlights the complex fault lines of the current standoff. Russia's longstanding alliance with Iran appears to have facilitated a rare and high-profile transit through waters that remain largely closed to international commerce, underlining how geopolitical alignments are reshaping the practical enforcement of the blockade. Nord, which features a swimming pool, a submarine and a helipad, has been located off the coast of Oman since Sunday, according to shipping data.