Iran just moved enough oil to fill roughly 1,270 Olympic swimming pools in a single day. According to TankerTrackers data, the country shipped out 20 million barrels of crude last Friday, a staggering volume that roughly matches the total daily flow through the Strait of Hormuz on a normal day.
What happened and why it matters
The massive shipment is part of a broader export surge that’s been building over the past week. TankerTrackers reported that 36 million barrels of Iranian crude were exported between June 15 and June 21, with 11 tankers departing from Chabahar port during that stretch.
Among the vessels involved were tankers named Diona, Hero II, and Sonia I, each carrying between 3.8 and 5 million barrels. These are supertankers operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), and their movement through the Strait of Hormuz marks the first significant crude loadings from Iran in roughly two months.
The US imposed a naval blockade on Iran starting April 13, 2026, effectively choking off the country’s ability to export oil. That blockade has now been partially lifted following an interim agreement between Iran and the Trump administration.
