No Tankers Load at Kharg Island for a Week as U.S. Blockade Halts Iranian Crude

No tankers have loaded at Iran's main crude export terminal on Kharg Island for at least a week, shipping and satellite data show, indicating that the renewed United States naval blockade has brought Tehran's oil sales to a standstill. Loading operations stopped on July 31, according to the intelligence providers Kpler and Energy Aspects, and the maritime intelligence firm Windward said all three of the island's berths sat empty for an extended period. About nine of every ten barrels Iran exports are loaded at Kharg. Washington reimposed the blockade in mid-July after an interim deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz collapsed.