Iranian cargo ships have suddenly departed from Malaysian waters in recent days and are heading back towards the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Iran reached agreement on a deal to extend their ceasefire.
Many Iranian vessels have sought sanctuary in south-east Asia since the US blockaded their home ports in April, but FT analysis of ship-tracking data shows six of the seven Iranian-flagged container ships reported in Malaysian ports and waters earlier this week had left by Thursday. Most of the departing vessels have declared destinations in the Gulf.
The true number of departures is likely to be much higher as ships owned or controlled by Iran often travel with their tracking systems turned off or under false flags. Experts said many of Iran’s shadowy fleet of oil tankers were also likely to be heading homeward.