Middle East
An Iranian-flagged tugboat sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, May 4. File photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian state-affiliated media announced Monday that an oil tanker carrying Iraqi crude oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, amid ongoing Iranian maritime restrictions in the strategic waterway.
"A VLCC oil tanker named 'AGIOS FANOURIOS I' passed through the route designated by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday. It added that the tanker, carrying “Iraqi crude oil,” is currently in the Sea of Oman and heading toward the Vietnamese port of Nghi Son.
The passage comes after months of maritime navigation restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz following an Iranian-imposed blockade after the US and Israel launched a wide-scale aerial campaign against Iran on February 28. The conflict lasted more than six weeks before the sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8 to pave the way for negotiations.
Alongside diplomatic efforts, Iran and the US have engaged in reciprocal maritime measures. Tehran has tightened controls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington initiated a maritime blockade on Iranian ports in mid-April.
The Maltese-flagged tanker departed Iraq’s southern Basra port in late April and is expected to arrive at Nghi Son on May 26, according to data from Kpler MarineTraffic, a vessel tracking service.
Iran imposed fees in late March estimated at around $2 million for large tankers carrying approximately 2 million barrels of oil, often described as a levy of roughly $1 per barrel.
In early April, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, said that "brotherly Iraq" would be exempt from the blockade, which he said would apply only to "hostile nations." Despite that, Iraq has struggled to restore oil exports to prewar levels because it relies heavily on foreign vessels for crude shipments.
Before the six-week war, Iraq produced around 4.5 million barrels of oil per day and exported roughly 3.5 million barrels daily, with nearly 90 percent of exports passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Iraqi oil ministry figures, exports dropped to 18.6 million barrels in March, generating about $1.96 billion in revenue, compared with more than 99 million barrels and $6.81 billion in February.
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