US Blockade Overwhelms Iran's Oil Terminals and Threatens Global Markets
Tehran, Saturday, 16 May 2026.
As a relentless US blockade halts exports, Iran’s oil terminals have reached maximum capacity, creating a critical bottleneck that threatens to disrupt global energy markets and international supply chains.
The Bottleneck at the Terminals
The United States blockade, initiated on April 13, 2026, has fundamentally disrupted Iran’s maritime energy trade [2]. Prior to the blockade, Iran exported an average of 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day by sea; since the blockade’s inception, waterborne crude exports have completely ceased [2]. Despite a bold prediction by US President Donald Trump on April 26 that Iranian oil infrastructure would explode from within in “about three days,” an immediate collapse has not materialized [2]. However, the strain is evident, as Iranian crude production fell by 130,000 barrels per day to 2.95 million barrels per day in April [2]. This represents a production decrease of 4.221 percent [2].