Undersea cables, which carry the… The U.S. blockade of Iran… The war in Iran and the closed Strait of Hormuz are accelerating a major shift in the oil tanker market, in which smaller tankers carrying fuels are becoming crude carriers amid better economics as crude buyers scramble for supply that’s not trapped behind the Strait. As many as 68 so-called long range-2 (LR2) clean tankers that have transported fuels such as diesel and gasoline have become the so-called dirty tankers and started shipping crude so far this year, per data by ship-tracking platform Signal Ocean compiled by Bloomberg. The phenomenon is not new, but the crisis in the Middle East has accelerated this move from clean to dirty tankers as switching to crude carriers has become more profitable. To compare, in all of 2025, a total of 49 tankers moved from clean to dirty trade, according to the data. The LR2 tankers are similar in capacity to the Aframaxes crude tankers which can ship 800,000 barrels of crude each. Nearly 300 LR2s are now transporting crude oil, according to the data by Signal Ocean. This number represents 66% of the entire global tanker fleet. The share of dirty tankers surpassed 50% in December last year when OPEC was boosting supply and crude in floating storage began to build significantly amid an expected oversupply—a trend that was abruptly cut short by the war in Iran. The 66% share of dirty tankers of the entire global fleet is the highest in Signal Ocean data dating back to 2019. Longer voyages, the need of crude on water, and the high prices buyers are willing to pay for physical crude cargoes have all contributed to the acceleration of the shift. As a result of the major upheaval in oil markets, clean freight rates remain resilient as clean tanker availability has been tightened by longer voyages and LR2s switching into dirty trading, Wanying Zhang, Freight Analyst at Vortexa, said this weekend. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Tsvetana is a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing for news outlets such as iNVEZZ and SeeNews. ADVERTISEMENT
Undersea cables, which carry the… The U.S. blockade of Iran… The war in Iran and the closed Strait of Hormuz are accelerating a major shift in the oil tanker market, in which smaller tankers carrying fuels are becoming crude carriers amid better economics as crude buyers scramble…
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During the U.S. maritime blockade from April to mid-June, authorities report that over 140 vessels were redirected and nine were disabled near the Strait. These figures, which appear to relate to a specific U.S. initiative, should be independently verified.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is structured into five main branches, including the Ground Forces, Aerospace Force, Navy, Quds Force, and Basij, under a command hierarchy that reports to the Supreme Leader. Reports indicate the organization maintains a substantial economic portfolio, estimated by some analyses to represent 20-40% of Iran’s economy, while also wielding significant political influence.
Recent developments since February 2026 suggest ongoing adjustments to its operational structure in response to heightened security threats.
UNHCR estimates the Afghan national population in Iran at 4.4 million as of January 2026, encompassing both registered and unregistered refugees. Reports indicate this group may face compounded risks due to factors such as pre-existing socioeconomic marginalization, insecure legal status, and limited access to services alongside exposure to displacement.
On March 10, 2026, reports indicated that recent developments in the region may have broader implications for global energy markets, maritime transport, and supply chains. The full extent of these cross-border effects remains subject to ongoing assessment.