US Navy Blockade Slashes Iran's Oil Exports by 80% in One Year

The US Navy's blockade of Iran has severely impacted its oil exports, reducing them by a staggering 80% in just one year. The decline is particularly stark when compared to August 2025, when exports reached nearly 1 million barrels per day. However, this month they plummeted to only 260,000 barrels per day.

The blockade was reinstated in mid-July after Iran targeted commercial tankers, and since then, the US has intercepted 75 vessels, disabled three, and boarded two. The strategy behind this economic blockade is to pressure Tehran by choking off its main revenue source - oil sales - without escalating military strikes.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has described the plan as 'Operation Economic Outcast,' citing similar blockades that squeezed Venezuela and Cuba. This could lead to a storage crisis for Iran, with around 20 million barrels of crude currently stranded on tankers near Asia, mostly bound for China.