Iran miscalculated the US blockade: oil went from offshore reserves

On April 13, the United States imposed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to stop exports from Iran. Before that, Tehran managed to accumulate reserves in tankers outside the Persian Gulf, which it sells.

"Visual confirmation: Iran has shipped nine million barrels of crude oil from floating storage facilities in The Gulf of Oman since the entry into force of the American blockade," writes the specialized portal Tankertrackers, which monitors maritime oil exports, including using satellite imagery.

Another two million barrels were shipped on April 12, the researchers added.

Earlier, they reported that in April, Iran decided to keep afloat in There are 23 million barrels of crude oil in the Gulf of Oman, despite the fact that its tankers are constantly entering and leaving the country. Thus, Tehran has envisaged a possible US blockade, which is obviously directed against both Iran and China.

Analysts have estimated for Bloomberg that Iran is able to withstand a complete shutdown of oil exports for about two months before it is forced to start cutting production.

"The blockade may affect up to 2 million barrels of oil per day, which go mainly to China, a key buyer of Iranian oil," the agency writes.

According to him, Iran has storage facilities for about 90 million barrels, internal processing of 2 million barrels per day allows it to temporarily maintain production even in the absence of exports. Additionally, Iran can use oil tankers as floating storage facilities.