Reuters reports that the US military has been secretly monitoring ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Oman Sea since early May to keep Gulf energy exports flowing. The transfers took place near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and Sohar in Oman, outside the area Iran claims as its surveillance zone in the Strait of Hormuz. Sources say Washington used a method previously employed by Iran to move oil and evade sanctions, aiming to reduce the risk of vessel seizure or inspection in the sensitive Hormuz corridor. The report also claims that a US AH-64 Apache helicopter, downed by Iran on June 9, was involved in the operation, and that its crew were rescued by an unmanned surface vessel after the crash. No official statements have confirmed the details.