Iranian Oil Tankers Cross U.S. Blockade for First Time in Two Months as Hormuz Deal Nears

The first crude to slip the net in two months

At least three Iranian tankers carrying roughly five million barrels of crude oil have sailed through the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz this week, the first outbound Iranian shipments in two months, according to ship-tracking data.reuters +1 Two very large crude carriers, the Diona and Hero II, each hauling about two million barrels, passed through the Gulf of Oman and are steaming toward Asia, while a third vessel, the Sonia I, carrying one million barrels, cleared the blockade line en route to Singapore.reuters +1 All three are owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company and are themselves under U.S. Treasury sanctions.bbc

Ships move while the blockade is still officially in force

The departures jump ahead of the formal timetable. Although President Donald Trump declared the "immediate removal" of the blockade on Sunday, posting "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!" on Truth Social, U.S. forces said enforcement would remain in place until the deal is signed in Switzerland on Friday.reuters +1 The vessels began broadcasting their locations for the first time since March as they crossed, a signal analysts read as defiance born of confidence.bbc "This is a sign that Iran is confident the blockade is over, even if the US has insisted it will be in place until Friday," said Michelle Wiese Bockmann of Windward Maritime Intelligence.bbc

The memorandum of understanding signed Monday is set to be formalized Friday at Switzerland's Burgenstock resort, launching a 60-day negotiation over Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.cnbc +1 Washington would allow Tehran to begin selling oil and fuel immediately once the pact is signed, with waivers covering banking, transport and insurance.cnbc +1

A six-year low, and a wary fleet

The blockade, in force since mid-April, throttled Iranian crude exports in May to 260,000 barrels per day, their lowest in six years and less than a fifth of 2025's 1.67 million bpd average.reuters +1 Benchmark Brent crude has already slid below $80 a barrel from highs near $120, pricing in a resumption of Gulf supply.reuters Yet the broader fleet is not rushing back: Kpler estimates 118 laden tankers could exit the region within 15 days of a signing, but most owners are holding off until safe passage is proven.reuters +1 "The maritime sector is treating the news with something closer to wary disbelief than celebration," Lloyd's List Intelligence told clients.cnbc