UAE Crude Exports Fully Recover, Iranian Exports Vanish Amid Conflict

The UAE's crude oil exports have made a remarkable recovery after being severely impacted by the conflict involving Iran, the US, and Israel in February 2026. According to tanker tracking data from TankerTrackers.com, the UAE's shipments had recovered to within 0.02% of their pre-war volumes by early September 2026.

Meanwhile, Iranian crude exports have almost completely disappeared, dropping as much as 100% from pre-conflict levels. The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supply typically flows, became a chokepoint during the conflict, severely impacting Iranian tanker traffic.

The UAE's Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, completed in 2012, played a crucial role in the country's recovery. Spanning 380 kilometers, it connects Abu Dhabi's inland oil fields directly to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz entirely.

Oil prices have settled near $70 per barrel following a peace deal reached in mid-June 2026, close to where prices sat before the conflict began. The Habshan-Fujairah pipeline was originally conceived as a hedge against exactly this kind of scenario, and it has proven to be a valuable asset for the UAE.