Khaberni - The shipping tracking agency "Vortexa" revealed that at least 34 oil tankers associated with Iran have managed to circumvent the American maritime blockade since its implementation began on April 13.
The agency said that at least 19 tankers crossed the blockade line and left the Gulf, while 15 other ships entered the Gulf from the Arabian Sea heading to Iran, noting that 6 ships among those departing were loaded with 10.7 million barrels of Iranian crude oil worth close to 910 million dollars.
Iran succeeded in smuggling these quantities using evasion tactics, including shutting down ship identification systems, where the giant tanker "Dorina" sailed with its device disabled, and used ship-to-ship transfers off the coast of Malaysia to conceal the oil's origin.
Iran continues to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, where it conditions the passage of ships through lanes specified by the Revolutionary Guards and requires prior permission from Tehran.
This led to only 30 ships passing after Tehran announced the opening of the strait, before the movement sharply decreased after the Iranian navy bombarded ships including a French container ship and an Indian oil tanker last Saturday.
In the meantime, the United States expanded the scope of its blockade to include Iranian ships in international waters and ships loaded with materials that could be used in conflict, and the U.S. Central Command announced that the navy ordered 28 ships to return to Iranian ports, also detained a container ship in the Gulf of Oman and boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Ship owners describe the current situation as a "double blockade" due to American actions and Iranian control of the strait, which led to most ships stopping passage through the waterway and gathering at the southern edge of the Gulf. U.S. President Donald Trump affirms that he will not lift the embargo until a final agreement is reached with Iran.
