Hunting Down Iranian Ghost Oil Ships Off the Coast Of Singapore
The Wall Street Journal • 2026-05-30T13:00:13Z • 2:56:00 • intermediate • News
Lead
Discover the hidden world of ghost oil ships off the coast of Singapore, where sanctions and maritime law collide in a shadowy trade network.
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Vocabulary
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sanctioned
/ˈsæŋkʃənd/
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Definition
Official permission or approval for an action; in this context, it refers to penalties imposed by one country on another to restrict trade or other activities.
Example
The government sanctioned the trade embargo to limit the country's access to resources.
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choke point
/ˈtʃoʊk pɔɪnt/
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Definition
A strategic location where the movement of goods or people can be restricted or controlled.
Example
The canal serves as a critical choke point for international shipping routes.
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jurisdiction
/ˌdʒʊərɪsˈdɪkʃən/
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Definition
The official power to make legal decisions and judgments, often in a specific area or over certain types of cases.
Example
The court has jurisdiction over all civil cases in the state.
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blockade
/bloʊˈkeɪd/
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Definition
An act of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving.
Example
The naval blockade was established to restrict supplies from reaching the enemy.
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gray zone
/ɡreɪ zoʊn/
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Definition
A situation or area that is ambiguous and not clearly defined, often involving activities that are not officially sanctioned or recognized.
Example
The conflict exists in a gray zone where legal and illegal actions intertwine.
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epicenter
/ˈɛpɪˌsɛntər/
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Definition
The central point of something, often used to describe the focal point of an activity or phenomenon.
Example
The city became the epicenter of the tech revolution, attracting innovators from around the world.
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