Five empty Iranian tankers were sighted in Iranian ports loading millions of barrels of oil amid the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
The report used satellite data and an analysis from Tanker Trackers, an independent oil shipment tracker, to identify the tankers. Three of the tankers were spotted in Kharg Island, were 90% of Iran's oil is processed and shipped, while the other two were seen at Bandar Mahshahr, Iran’s northernmost port in the Persian Gulf.
Another five tankers, loaded with approximately 9 million barrels of oil, were spotted in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week and are no longer visible in the images.
US officials said that no Iranian vessels have been able to break the blockade since it was imposed on Monday, with the US Central Command saying 21 ships have complied and returned to Iran after being warned.
"Guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) patrols the Arabian Sea, April 17, as U.S. forces enforce the naval blockade on ships attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports," CENTCOM said in its latest operational update posted on X.
Floating oil storage to avoid damage
Iran's reason for storing oil at Kharg and other terminals is not to export it, but to avoid damage to its main oil infrastructure.
The terminals need a constant flow of oil to avoid damage, with tankers serving as "floating oil storage" that keep the site functioning.
The tankers spotted in Kharg have a carrying capacity of 5 million barrels, the report noted, and allow Iran to keep oil moving out of the system and avoid a buildup that would force shut-ins, Etras Katinas, an energy researcher at the UK think tank Royal United Services Institute, told The Washington Post.
The location of the five tankers spotted near Iran’s Chabahar Port, which is close to the blockade line, could not be determined from the satellite imagery analyzed in the report, and US officials declined to comment on their location.
Convoy of tankers is seen leaving Gulf, vessel tracking data shows
A convoy of tankers was seen departing the Gulf and transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, vessel-tracking data showed.
The group comprised four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, with more tankers expected to follow from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data.
Both the US and Iran announced the opening of the Strait, with US President Donald Trump saying the waterway was "fully opened" while Iranian officials insisted that vessels must coordinate with the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) before crossing.
"Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully opened and ready for full passage," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday.
In another Truth Social post, Trump said that the Strait is "completely open and ready for business and full passage."
He also confirmed that the US blockade on Iranian ports "will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete."
Additionally, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced earlier on Friday that all ships will be allowed to cross the Strait of Hormuz following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.