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Jun 22, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Iran has ramped up the amount of oil it sends openly through the Strait of Hormuz to the highest since the war began, as shipping activity picks up while Tehran and Washington seek a lasting peace deal.
About 6 million barrels are on three US-sanctioned supertankers — Elva, Virgo and Vigor — that entered the chokepoint early Monday, ship-tracking data show. They are all indicating they are going to waters off Singapore, where Iranian crude is known to be transferred onto ships that often deliver to China.
The tankers are part of a broader pickup in traffic through the strait, as the US and Iran began talks on Sunday in Switzerland. The chokepoint is a vital link for oil and natural gas supplies from Persian Gulf producers for global markets, carrying about a fifth of flows before the war threw the trade into disarray.
In addition to Iranian tankers' movements, traders were assessing a slew of other signs. Among them, Qatar is bringing home more empty liquefied natural gas tankers as it prepares to restart shipments. Meanwhile, Kuwait is asking customers to pick up refined petroleum from ports deep inside the gulf.
Iran said there had been "major progress" in all-night discussions with the US. The countries have embarked on technical talks in the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock over the weekend, following an interim agreement last week that led to a ceasefire extension and Iran and the US reopening Hormuz.
The trio of Iranian ships have come from the OPEC member's main oil-export terminal, Kharg island, which lies deep within the inland sea. That volume augments recent exports of around 20 million barrels from the Islamic Republic's Chabahar, in the Gulf of Oman.
The movements come after the US last week lifted its blockade, which had been in place since mid-April on ships visiting Iranian ports. They also show how the Islamic Republic is quickly restarting crude production, including resuming loadings from Kharg, now that shipments are able to reach global markets.
Already, sellers of Iranian crude to China have slashed prices after more of such barrels are made available, with deeper discounts for spot cargoes of Iranian Light crude for July arrival being offered by traders and middlemen compared to prices quoted before the interim peace deal.
Traffic is generally picking up in the strait, with several laden tankers seen exiting into the Gulf of Oman over the weekend, though some of them turned off their transponders. Three more Suezmaxes carrying about 2.7 million barrels of Iraqi and Saudi crude began signaling in the Gulf of Oman early Monday, after last broadcasting locations from within the gulf. Their reappearances suggest that they had traveled through Hormuz without signaling their locations.
Traders have also tracked empty vessels entering the gulf, which are crucial as exporters look to ramp up output amid a lack of storage space. One unladen very large crude carrier appeared within the gulf after turning off its transmitter for the crossing, while another entered hugging the Omani coast.
Four Qatar-linked empty LNG tankers also signaled Hormuz crossings into the gulf on Monday. If successful, this would be the most for a single day since the war began at the end of February.
Fuente: GCAPTAIN_NEWS
