Reuters reported on Thursday, May 22, 2020, that at “least 10.7 million barrels of Iranian crude oil” have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the United States began a naval blockade of Iran, according to data from the company Vertexa.
According to the report, this amount of oil was transported between “April 13 and 21 using six tankers”. This is despite the fact that the US government had previously announced that it would blockade Iranian ports and prevent the passage of ships in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Vertexa data shows that the blockade is not fully implemented near Iranian ports. According to this assessment, the scope of the blockade is flexible and applies to a wide area, from the maritime borders of Iran and Pakistan to parts of Omani waters.
Reuters also reported that since the restrictions began, “Iran-related tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz” has decreased. During this period, the number of tankers has reached one to two per day, while previously two to three tankers were traveling this route per day.
In this context, the “US military has announced that it has forced 29 ships to return “to their origin since the beginning of the blockade.
Despite Iranian tankers passing through the” US naval blockade”, the Revolutionary Guards have been shooting and firing at cargo ships and tankers from other countries in recent days.
