Blockade

Iran made billions of dollars, bypassed sanctions amid US blockade, top official Rezaee claims

"In the past month or two, we sold seventy million barrels of oil," he said. "Now every day we sell oil to American ships on that side, as much as we produce."

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on May 16. Negotiations between the US and Iran over opening this critical waterway have largely stalled.
 Iranian flag with stock graph and an oil pump jack miniature model are seen in this illustration taken October 9, 2023.

Iranian oil supplies to China tighten as US blockade cuts Tehran's crude exports

 Israeli president Isaac Herzog at a memorial ceremony for former prime minister Menahem Begin, in Jerusalem, March 7, 2022.

Can we all agree on zero tolerance for all political violence, even among our allies? - opinion

US President Donald Trump's Truth Social post declaring Strait of Hormuz a new US territory, August 18, 2026.

Trump declares Strait of Hormuz as 'new US territory,' day after MoU deadline expires


Shippers Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM suspend Cuba bookings after US executive order

Shipping giants CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd have suspended all bookings to and from Cuba until further notice, they said separately on Sunday, with both citing a US executive order issued on May 1.

Hapag-Lloyd sign on a container ship at the Valparaiso port, Chile, January 11, 2024.

Pentagon considering renaming Iran war 'Operation Sledgehammer' if ceasefire fails - report

A new operation name could allow the Trump administration to distinguish renewed strikes from Operation Epic Fury, NBC reported.

US Chair of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Dan Caine, addresses the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Pentagon's budget request, May 12, 2026; illustrative.

Tanker struck by drone off coast of Doha after Qatari ship breaks Hormuz blockade

Iranian lawmakers have said they are drafting a bill to formalize Iran's management of the Strait of Hormuz, with clauses including forbidding passage to vessels of "hostile states."

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 4, 2026.

US targets Iraq oil official and militias with sanctions for aiding Iran

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Thursday on Iraq's deputy oil minister and militias over support for Iran, the Treasury Department said.

Drone view of oil tanker HELGA berthed at one of Iraq's southern offshore oil terminals near Basra as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second vessel to arrive since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, April 24, 2026.

Iran can last for months under US Strait of Hormuz blockade, US officials say - report

“The leadership has gotten more radical, determined, and increasingly confident they can outlast US political will and sustain domestic repression to check any resistance,” one US official said.

A map showing the Strait of Hormuz is seen in this illustration taken June 22, 2025.

Iran’s aging tankers used for oil reserves as blockade strains storage capacity

The vessel's commission suggests that Iran’s energy sector and oil storage capacity are facing a crisis, as the US Navy continues to block the passage of tankers carrying Iranian oil out of the Gulf.

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows a view of an oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

US Navy strikes Iranian-flagged ship trying to break Strait of Hormuz blockade from Gulf of Oman

The Iranian-flagged oil tanker was struck by 20 mm cannon fire from a jet launched by the US Navy, US CENTCOM said on Wednesday. 

An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran April 1, 2026.

Iran expert: Tehran not yet under enough pressure to concede

Tehran continues to condition any discussion of its nuclear program on ending the war, lifting the blockade, and the withdrawal of US forces, meaning the core obstacle remains unresolved.

A woman walks past a billboard featuring an image of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a building, amid a ceasefire between US and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 27, 2026

US blockade costs Iran $4.8 billion, US Navy acting 'sort of like pirates,' Trump says - report

According to Pentagon officials, over 40 vessels carrying oil and other contraband have been redirected by the US military since the blockade began on April 13th. 

The ‘USS Abraham Lincoln’ conducts US blockade operations related to the Strait of Hormuz, last month.

Khamenei vows to protect nuclear program, warns US over Gulf presence in written statement

Khamenei reiterated that Iran will defend its nuclear and missile technologies, accusing the US of causing instability in the Persian Gulf and vowing to expel foreign forces.

Iranians stand on a pavement along a street next to a billboard depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 24, 2026.