Iran significantly boosts oil exports via Strait of Hormuz since taking control of key waterway

The Cradle, March 11, 2026 —

Iran is blocking oil exports from Gulf states it considers ‘linked to the aggressors’ from passing through the strait.

Iran is exporting more oil through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war, while blocking the Gulf states from exporting crude through the strategic waterway, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 11 March.

Kpler data shows that over the past week, tankers have loaded a daily average of 2.1 million barrels of Iranian oil, an amount slightly higher than the 2 million barrels a day Iran exported in February.

“Iran is conducting business as usual,” the WSJ wrote.

Since the start of the war on 28 February, a total of seven tankers have loaded oil off the Iranian coast, in an indication that Iranian oil shipments “are unimpeded,” WSJ added.

On 8 March, Axios reported that the White House was considering seizing Kharg Island, home to an oil terminal in the Persian Gulf through which 90 percent of Iran’s oil passes.

Oil exports are crucial to keep the Iranian economy afloat amid the brutal war waged by the US and Israel on the Islamic Republic.

“If they can’t sell their own oil, they can’t make payroll,” said Michael Rubin, a scholar at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

However, Iran is now blocking oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz for the US-allied Gulf states, demonstrating its control of the strait.

As the war began, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to attack any hostile ship trying to cross the strait, through which between 20 and 30 percent of all world oil exports pass.

As their oil storage facilities fill up, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and the UAE have been forced to slash oil production and scramble to find alternate export routes.

If the strait remains closed to the Gulf states for the next two weeks, their oil supplies could be cut by about 3.8 million barrels a day (3.8 percent of global supply), according to the bank JPMorgan.

On 3 March, Trump promised that US naval ships would escort tankers through the strait if needed.

“If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social.

However, amid threats from Iran, Trump has not followed through on the promise.

“No ship linked to the aggressors against Iran has the right to cross the Strait of Hormuz. If you have the slightest doubt, approach the strait and try,” stated Ali Reza Tangsiri, the commander of the IRGC Navy, on Wednesday.

At the same time, Iran is allowing “shadow fleet” tankers linked to China to pass, as Beijing is a major importer of Iranian crude.

“Almost all ships crossing the Strait are linked to Iran or China,” said Christopher Long, head of intelligence at UK maritime-security company Neptune P2P Group.