Turning point in the Strait of Hormuz: Iran sends tankers carrying millions of barrels of oil

According to specialist platform TankerTrackers, at least three tankers carrying around five million barrels of oil have sailed from Iran since Monday. The platform said these were the first such exports after around two months of a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for ships heading to and from Iran. An agreement between Iran and the United States provides for shipping to resume along this key route for transporting oil and gas.

Overnight, TankerTrackers reported that a third tanker belonging to Iran’s state-owned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) had crossed the US blockade line. The vessel, Sonia I, was estimated to be carrying around one million barrels of oil. The platform confirmed that two other NITC tankers, named Diona and Hero2, had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz since the agreement was reached on Sunday, carrying around 3.8 million barrels of oil. “This is Iran’s first oil export in two months,” the website said.

The platform also said that at least one tanker that had been blocked abroad is returning to Iran.

On Sunday, Iran and the United States remotely concluded a memorandum of understanding that, according to available information, includes the full resumption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Cargo ship traffic there has fallen virtually to zero since March because of the war between Iran, the United States and Israel. US President Donald Trump believes it will take several more days to fully restore safe shipping conditions, and said this could happen on Friday.