Al-Jazeera: Iran Can End US Blockade of Its Ports

The American blockade of Iranian ports has been ongoing since April 13; However, Iran still earns money from oil exports, it also has the political will to wait out these restrictions and may withstand them, while the patience of the US may run out – writes the Al-Jazeera television website on Friday, citing oil market analysts and diplomats.

US President Donald Trump maintains that Iran is already in a state of financial collapse because of the blockade. However, oil market experts estimate that the country has economic reserves that will allow it to withstand restrictions on the sale of the raw material. And one of the most important reasons why the US decided on a naval blockade was the will to paralyze this export – reports the portal.

According to the Kpler agency, specializing in international trade analysis, Iran managed to export 1.71 million barrels of oil per day in April, which is more than the average in 2025, 1.68 million barrels per day. With the price of the raw material not falling below USD 90 per barrel, and often exceeding USD 100, it is estimated that over the past month Tehran earned at least USD 4.97 billion – more than before the outbreak of the war with the US and Israel.

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Middle East Council on Global Affairs expert Frederic Schneider points out that Iran still has large oil reserves kept on anchored tankers outside the Middle East region; in February they were estimated at 127 million barrels.

Iran was somewhat prepared for conflict and a possible port blockade, and now “appears to be playing the long-term game.” Moreover, it is not clear how tight the blockade is, how long Trump will be willing to maintain it and how long China will tolerate it, says Schneider. He recalls that Beijing has already signaled that it considers paralyzing its trade exchange with Tehran “unacceptable.”

If anything can be concluded from the behavior of both sides of the conflict, it is that “Iran is signaling that it can be patient, and Trump is showing impatience,” the expert adds.

Muyu Xu, an oil market analyst at Kpler, points out that Iran still has the ability to store the raw material in the country, and for several months it will benefit from the sale of oil transported by tankers.

It is estimated that between 160 million and 183 million barrels of Iranian oil are currently on their way to destination ports, which may mean that Tehran will profit from it until August, and for Trump – due to domestic politics – this may be too distant a time horizon.

Former US ambassador to Bahrain Adam Ereli believes that the Iranian regime has a good chance of waiting Trump out and “exhausting the patience of the American public.”

The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, which responded by striking the Persian Gulf countries and virtually closing the Strait of Hormuz, and the US blocked Iranian ports shortly thereafter. There is currently a ceasefire. (PAP)

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