US Strikes Resume as Iran Squeezes Gulf Oil Export Routes

The US has resumed strikes on Iran after a month-long hiatus, targeting IRGC rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM stated that the launchers were being readied to fire rockets carrying naval mines into the waterway, posing an 'imminent threat.' The IRGC vowed a response and punishment, which came in the form of ballistic missile strikes on Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan, with Amman reporting eight intercepts. Iran's regular army separately claimed a drone strike on Al Minhad air base in the UAE.

Iran has blacklisted 45 tankers for breaking its rules on crossing the Strait of Hormuz, warning it would act against any ship caught transferring cargo with them. The vessels risk fines, detention, and cargo confiscation, and any ship caught doing a ship-to-ship transfer with one can be added itself.

Adnoc has built its export strategy around a shuttle model since the war disrupted normal Hormuz transits, moving crude from inside the Gulf to transfer points like Fujairah. The company is still running this model, selling over 100mn barrels via tenders even as chokepoint traffic collapsed.