A superyacht owned by one of Vladimir Putin’s key allies passed through the Strait of Hormuz as the critical waterway remains effectively closed to commercial ships. “Nord,” a 465-foot multi-deck luxury vessel valued at more than $500 million linked to Russia’s richest man, Alexei Mordashov, was able to navigate the Strait after undergoing maintenance in Dubai, after neither Iran nor the US objected, a source close to the billionaire said Tuesday. Sailing under a Russian flag, the yacht left Dubai on Friday and passed through the Strait on Saturday, one of the few private vessels to successfully do so since the start ... (full story)