ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An oil tanker arrived at offshore loading terminals in Iraq’s southern Basra port on Friday to load two million barrels of crude after securing Iranian approval for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Iraqi oil ministry sources said Saturday.
Two sources in Iraq’s oil ministry told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that the oil tanker HELGA, sailing under the Comoros flag, has been anchored at Basra’s oil port since Friday evening and is set to transport two million barrels of Iraqi crude to international markets.
According to the sources, the vessel is scheduled to depart for the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. They added that the Iraqi government obtained prior approval from Iran for the ship’s passage.
A key sticking point in the US-Iran truce remains the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which more than one-fifth of global energy supplies pass during peacetime. Iran imposed restrictions on the route for most of the nearly six-week war with the US and Israel that began on February 28. During the conflict, US and Israeli forces struck more than 17,000 sites across Iran.
After Iran began easing restrictions following the ceasefire, Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels entering and leaving its ports on April 13. Tehran has since said it will not participate in a second round of talks unless the blockade is lifted.
Iran warned on Saturday it could resort to military options in response to the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The US Central Command reported Friday that it had deployed 12 vessels, including three aircraft carriers, along with more than 200 military aircraft and over 15,000 Marine personnel across the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad late Friday to present a proposal for a potential agreement with the United States to Pakistani officials. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner also arrived in Islamabad on Saturday.
However, no direct meeting between US and Iranian delegations for a second round of talks in the Pakistani capital has been confirmed.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this article.
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