The Skywave unit was taken over on the night from Monday to Tuesday. The ship has been on the list of entities subject to restrictions in connection with the transport of oil from Iran since March. The action is another stage of increasing pressure on Tehran from the United States.
Cargo from Khark Island
According to data from Lloyds List Intelligence, a maritime shipping analysis company, the tanker was most likely loaded with over 1 million barrels of oil. The raw material comes from the island of Khark, located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf, where the Iranian oil terminal operates, reports “WSJ”. This is one of the key locations used by Tehran to export fuel.
Capture of a tanker is part of a broader conflict between Washington, Tel Aviv and Tehran about the Iranian nuclear program and regional influence. After US and Israeli forces launched air strikes, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the United States introduced a blockade of Iranian ports, which was intended to cut off the country from selling oil and gas abroad. These actions hit one of the most important sources of state revenue.
Oil Stocks Outside the Middle East
Despite the restrictions, Iran found a way to maintain the flow of cargo. At the end of April, Al-Jazeera television reported that oil is stored on ships far from the Middle East. In February, analysts estimated the volume of these reserves at 127 million barrels.
Tehran still profits from selling fuel abroad. Tankers heading to destination ports currently hold between 160 million and 183 million barrels of oil from Iran. The scale of these transports shows how difficult it is to fully seal the sanctions.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented on the matter. In an interview with Reuters, he emphasized that Asian countries should block the transshipment of oil from the so-called Iran's shadow fleet to units that were not subject to restrictions.
