Three Iranian crude oil tankers — Diona, Hero II, and Sonia I — owned by the sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company, successfully passed a US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, carrying a combined 3.8 million barrels of crude. This marks Iran's first crude oil exports in two months, with Hero II and Sonia I departing from Iran's Chabahar port and sailing past the blockade into the Arabian Sea, and Diona broadcasting its location just beyond the blockade line.
This movement of tankers comes two days before talks between Washington and Tehran are set to begin in Switzerland, aiming to finalize a peace agreement and end their war. As part of a framework deal, the US will immediately permit Iran to sell oil and fuel, with a waiver of sanctions on oil sales, banking, transportation, and insurance taking effect. The news that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen has caused world oil prices to tumble, with Brent crude falling to $78.74 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate to $75.85 a barrel.
Before the blockade, Iran averaged 1.67 million barrels per day in crude exports in 2025, but this had dropped to 260,000 barrels per day in May. Since the announcement of the US deal, Iranian-linked tankers and cargo ships have shown increased global activity. Two other NITC tankers, Dan and Sinopa, also began broadcasting their positions in the Strait of Malacca after not being publicly tracked since early April, and appear to be sailing towards Iran.
