Iran Tensions Drive 11 Million Barrels of Oil Onto Tankers After US Strikes
Iran tensions have prompted the rapid loading of supertankers with roughly 11 million barrels of crude oil as renewed US strikes on Iranian infrastructure and threats of a blockade disrupt a fragile memorandum of understanding over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran dispatched five supertankers and one Suezmax vessel in the past 24 hours carrying about 11 million barrels, close to a week’s worth of pre-war exports, with vessels now in the Gulf of Oman or transiting the Strait of Hormuz. [3]
Iran Accelerates Oil Exports Amid Renewed Strikes
Iran has rushed out five supertankers and one Suezmax vessel carrying roughly 11 million barrels of crude in the past 24 hours, as strikes between the US and Iran threaten to escalate into another blockade on its ports. [3] Four of the vessels leaving Iranian ports today signalled positions in the Gulf of Oman, and another was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to tanker-tracking data. [3] The vessels were dispatched immediately after a second day that US military strikes targeted civilian infrastructure like railway bridges. [3] The renewed strikes threaten to shatter the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, bringing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a cautious standstill. [3] Eleven million barrels are close to a week’s worth of Iran’s pre-war exports, though it’s unclear whether there are buyers for the shipments. [3]
Strait of Hormuz Emerges as Central Flashpoint
The Strait of Hormuz has become the most significant flashpoint between the US and Iran, overshadowing Iran's nuclear programme, which has for years been the primary source of tension between the two countries. [3] Ahead of signing the MoU in June, Trump said on the sidelines of the G-7 summit, “I didn’t want to see an economic catastrophe.” [3] Trump’s remarks at the time confirmed that Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was inflicting enough economic damage that his administration was jolted into a 60-day ceasefire extension it announced on Sunday. [3] Under the MoU, the Strait of Hormuz would remain toll-free for 60 days, but its future would be negotiated, leaving the door open to potential fees and giving Iran more control over the essential waterway than it has had in the past. [3] On Tuesday, tens of millions of barrels of Iranian oil were halted after the Trump administration revoked a waiver that temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran after several vessels in Qatar and Saudi Arabia came under attack from Iran. [3] A key provision in President Donald Trump's memorandum of understanding with Iran meant to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has instead become the focus of a dangerous dispute over control of the strategic waterway. [4]
Casualties and Iranian Warnings After US Attacks
The vessels were dispatched immediately after a second day that US military strikes targeted civilian infrastructure like railway bridges, killing 14 people and injuring 78, leaving 47 in hospital, according to Iranian health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour. [3] Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy said on Thursday that US attacks on Iran and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupting its reopening and warned that any further US intervention would draw a "crushing response". [3] The strikes have stirred the energy market, sending oil prices up nearly nine percent this week to trade near $79 a barrel on Thursday. [3]
Israel Signals Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran
The army is ready to attack Iran a third time if necessary and more harshly, following two prior Israeli-led campaigns that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and weakened Iran and its allies. [2] The army is ready and in a state of alert for a resumption of combat, in order to restore air superiority and to strike again in Iran, to eliminate the threats, including a third time if necessary, stated Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz during a military ceremony. [2] During the same military ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Iran had been weakened by the two military campaigns launched by Israel. [2] Iran and its allies are more weak than ever, he estimated, while recognising that the conflict was not finished. [2] The war against Iran began on 28 February, when the United States and Israel launched an air offensive that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many other important Iranian officials. [2] It was the second Israeli operation against Iran, after a 12-day conflict in June 2025 that Washington had joined. [2]
International Reactions to the US-Iran Deal
Germany’s Chancellor Merz told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that the US-Iran deal represents the best chance for stability in the region. [5] There must be no steps toward a de facto partial annexation of the West Bank, Chancellor Merz told the Israeli prime minister in a phone call. [5]
Market Impact and Uncertain Future for Oil Shipments
The strikes have stirred the energy market, sending oil prices up nearly nine percent this week to trade near $79 a barrel on Thursday. [3] Eleven million barrels are close to a week’s worth of Iran’s pre-war exports, though it’s unclear whether there are buyers for the shipments. [3] The renewed strikes threaten to shatter the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, bringing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a cautious standstill. [3]
What to watch next: Further US intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could draw a crushing response from Iran’s IRGC navy, while oil prices remain near $79 a barrel amid uncertainty over buyers for the expedited shipments.
