The U.S. Navy’s ongoing maritime blockade has effectively halted Iranian crude oil exports in May, with no shipments getting past the blockade line that stretches from eastern Oman to the Iran-Pakistan border. Approximately 80 million barrels of Iranian oil and petrochemicals remain stranded offshore, unable to leave key export hubs, according to a report from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a Washington-based nonprofit advisory group.
While Iran managed to export limited volumes of naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas, the blockade dramatically cut down its overall energy exports compared to previous months. In February, Tehran exported more than 59 million barrels of crude oil and fuel before the blockade intensified, but May saw near-zero crude shipments slipping past U.S. forces. The report highlights the erosion of Iran’s once-extensive sanctions-busting network, which had used sophisticated maritime routes to funnel oil, primarily to China.
U.S. Central Command confirmed its operation began in mid-April and has since disabled six commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade and redirected over 120 others. Meanwhile, nearly 70 tankers laden with Iranian oil cluster near Iran’s primary export locations such as Kharg Island and the port of Chabahar, waiting offshore within the blockade zone. This bottleneck underscores the impact of U.S. naval efforts on Iran’s energy economy, as exports dropped from 36 million barrels in March and 30 million in April to a fraction of that in May.