Iranian tankers race through Hormuz as commercial shipping nears standstill

Iranian oil tankers are rushing through the strait to export crude before a July 17 sanctions deadline, after the U.S. revoked a waiver authorizing Iranian oil sales.reuters+1
Commercial tanker crossings plummeted to just two early Thursday, down from a daily average of 33, with about 6,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf, according to the IMO.reuters+1
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran's vessels continue to transit even as the IRGC demands all ships follow Tehran-designated routes or face attack.wsj+1

As commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a near standstill this week amid renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities, Iranian oil tankers have continued to transit the waterway, racing to export crude before a July 17 sanctions deadline shuts down their sales window.

A Closing Window for Iranian Oil

The Trump administration revoked a sanctions waiver on July 7 that had authorized Iranian oil exports, giving Tehran just 10 days to wind down transactions after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at three commercial vessels in the strait. The original waiver, known as General License X, had permitted Iranian crude sales through August 21 as part of the June 17 memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. With the new deadline of July 17 now looming, Iranian tankers operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company have been pushing through the strait even as other vessels turn back.reuters+5

Commercial Traffic Collapses

The contrast between Iranian and international shipping activity is stark. Only 13 tankers crossed Hormuz on Wednesday, compared with an average of 33 per day the previous week, according to Kpler S&P Global Inc. data cited by CNBC. By Thursday, just two tankers had sailed through the strait in early hours, Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation reported. At least four oil and gas tankers reversed course after the attacks, ship-tracking data showed.cnbc+2

The International Maritime Organization said approximately 6,000 seafarers remain stranded aboard hundreds of vessels in the Gulf. Prior to the war that began in February, about 138 vessels transited the strait daily.news.un+1

Control of the Strait at the Heart of the Crisis

Iran's attacks on commercial ships reflect its broader strategy to assert permanent control over the waterway. The IRGC has demanded that all vessels use routes designated by Tehran and warned that ships failing to comply could face attacks. Iran views dominance over Hormuz as its primary strategic deterrent, according to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War.aljazeera+2

The Wall Street Journal News Corp reported that Iran's renewed attacks expose a growing dilemma: Tehran's hardline leadership depends on controlling the strait for leverage in negotiations, but more vessels had been slipping through along an alternative corridor near Oman's coast before this week's escalation. Now, with President Trump declaring the ceasefire over and the U.S. launching fresh strikes on Iranian targets, the prospect of the strait closing entirely has returned.nypost+2

Sources (52)