According to TankerTracker – a company specializing in tracking oil-related activities – the Iranian tankers sailed without cargo, but in total they can hold about 5 million barrels of crude oil. All three were to cross the US naval blockade line and head towards Iran through Pakistan's exclusive economic zone. The ships belong to the National Iran Tanker Company (NITC). Two of the three tankers were spotted in satellite images on Wednesday, and the third – named Hasna – appeared on Thursday evening off the coast of Shinas, Oman, about 254 nautical miles (470 km) west of the blockade line.
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US forces fired several shots at the tanker
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday that U.S. forces are currently blocking the movement of over 70 tankers sailing to and from Iranian ports. According to the command, the blocked ships could hold more than 166 million barrels of Iranian crude oil with an estimated value of more than $13 billion.. Three ships tried to bypass the blockade, and there were clashes.
According to TankerTrackers, one of the vessels – Hasna – appeared in the Automatic Ship Identification System (AIS) on Thursday evening off the coast of Oman. The other two ships were identified earlier.
According to PAP, the media in Tehran only reports on “sporadic clashes” between the Iranian armed forces and the US Navy in the strait, without providing details. CENTCOM reported on
CENTCOM published on X a video of the US attack on Iranian tankers.
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After the US-Israeli bombing of Iran began, Tehran effectively closed the strait – a route through which much of its oil and gas was transported before the war – leading to a sharp increase in fuel prices and shocks to the global economy.
Currently, Iran is blocking the exit of ships from the Persian Gulf through Hormuz, which prevents the export of raw materials from other countries in the region, while on the other side of the strait, US forces are stopping ships sailing to Iranian ports, thus preventing the export of Iranian oil and gas.
