Severely throttled — Iranian seaborne crude exports have dropped dramatically since the US naval blockade began around April 13, 2026.
fdd.org
Current Status (as of late May 2026)Pre-blockade baseline (early 2026, before escalation): Iran was exporting roughly 1.5–2 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and products, mostly to China via a "shadow fleet" using ship-to-ship transfers, AIS evasion, and discounted sales.
unitedagainstnucleariran.com
Post-blockade impact: Exports plunged. April totals were already down (e.g., ~29–35 million barrels for the month, or under 1 mbpd average), but the real drop hit after April 13. From mid-April onward, effective exports fell to roughly 200,000 bpd or lower in tracked data, with further declines in May.
fdd.org
Early May data (first ~18 days): Almost no crude exports; only limited naphtha (~2 million barrels total).
fdd.org
Some sources report periods with zero confirmed successful crude tanker departures through the blockade zone for weeks.
nytimes.com
A small number of tankers (Iran-linked or sanctioned) bypassed early on (e.g., ~10.7 million barrels in one mid-April window per Vortexa), but overall volumes are down 80%+ from pre-blockade levels in key periods.
iranwire.com
The blockade (enforced by US Navy/CENTCOM in the Gulf of Oman area) targets vessels to/from Iranian ports, with interdictions, redirects, and sanctions on tankers/companies. CENTCOM has reported dozens of vessels turned away or intercepted.
fdd.org
Kharg Island
Not literally "fully blockaded" (e.g., no permanent occupation or total physical siege of the island itself), but effectively crippled for exports. Kharg handles ~90% of Iran's oil exports. It features major terminals, storage, and pipelines.
bloomberg.com
Satellite imagery (e.g., Bloomberg/Sentinel as of mid-May) showed no large ocean-going tankers loading for extended periods (e.g., 10+ days with none visible).
bloomberg.com
Storage is filling rapidly (onshore ~120 million barrels capacity including Kharg; plus floating storage). Iran faces risks of running out of space, forcing production cuts or other measures. There have been reports of suspected oil slicks near the island.
nytimes.com
Loading activity has been minimal or halted at times due to the inability of tankers to safely depart and empty ones to arrive.
iranintl.com
Iran has adapted somewhat with floating storage (tens of millions of barrels on tankers near the Strait), continued shadow fleet attempts, and ship-to-ship transfers farther out, but these are limited and high-risk under current enforcement.