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diplomacyApr 14, 2026

Oil Tankers Navigate Hormuz as US Blockade Adds Risk

Summary

The U.S. blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports adds to uncertainty over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been all-but-shut since the start of the Iran war. Ordinarily, roughly one fifth of global oil and gas exports transit the Strait of Hormuz. Here's a look at some of the non-Iranian oil tankers that have passed the strait since the start of the U.S-Israeli war with Iran on Feb. 28, listed by cargo destination. MALAYSIA Liberia-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Serifos entered and exited the Hormuz Passage trial anchorage that bypasses Iran's Larak Island on April 10. The tanker, carrying crude loaded from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in early March, is expected to arrive at Malaysia's Malacca port on April 21. Ocean Thunder, loaded with Iraqi crude and chartered by a unit of Malaysian state energy firm Petronas, transited the waterway on April 5 and is expected to discharge its cargo of 1 million barrels of Basrah Heavy crude in Malaysia's Pengerang on April 18. Both tankers are among seven Malaysia-linked vessels cleared by Iran to transit the strait, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. CHINA China-flagged VLCCs Cospearl Lake and He Rong Hai exited the Strait of Hormuz on April 11. Cospearl Lake, laden with Iraqi oil, is expected to arrive at China's Zhoushan port on May 1. He Rong Hai is heading to Myanmar to discharge its Saudi crude cargo. Both VLCCs are chartered by Unipec, the trading arm of Chinese energy giant Sinopec. VLCC Dhalkut, which passed the strait on April 2, is heading to Myanmar to discharge Saudi crude on April 22, Kpler data showed. Crude discharged at Myanmar typically goes to PetroChina's Yunnan refinery. On March 31, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that three Chinese ships recently sailed through the Strait of Hormuz after coordination with relevant parties. INDIA At least two VLCCs and two suezmax tankers exited the Gulf in March and April to offload crude at India. VLCC Habrut, which crossed the strait on April 2, is heading to Paradip to discharge Abu Dhabi crude for Indian Oil Corp on April 15. Meanwhile, VLCC Marathi discharged Saudi crude at the Sikka port for Reliance Industries on March 28, Kpler data showed. The Liberia-flagged Smyrni suezmax tanker exited the strait on March 12 and discharged 1 million barrels of Saudi crude at Mumbai for state refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp on March 16, the data showed. Another suezmax Shenlong left the strait on March 6 and discharged the same amount of Saudi crude at Mumbai on March 11. Gabon-flagged tanker Msg, laden with residue fuel, is heading to India's Pipavav port after passing the strait on April 9, Kpler data showed. Liberia-flagged Navara, which sailed through the strait on March 31, discharged fuel oil at Sikka port on April 8, the data showed. Two India-bound liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers carrying about 94,000 metric tons of the cooking gas have safely transited the Strait of Hormuz and are heading towards India, the government said in late March. BW Tyr discharged at Mumbai and Pipavav between April 5 and April 7, while BW Elm discharged at three Indian ports between April 6 and April 15, Kpler data showed. Prior to this, four other Indian-flagged LPG tankers have moved out of the strait — Shivalik, Nanda Devi, Pine Gas, and Jag Vasant. PAKISTAN Two Pakistan-flagged tankers entered the Gulf on April 12. The Aframax tanker Shalamar is heading to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to load Das crude, the data showed, while the Panamax-sized Khairpur is heading to Kuwait to load refined products, according to the data. Aframax tanker P. Aliki passed through the strait on March 28 and discharged Saudi crude at Karachi on March 31. THAILAND A Thai oil tanker owned by Bangchak Corporation has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz following diplomatic coordination between Thailand and Iran, and was not required to pay to escape the blockade, a Thai official and the oil major that owns the vessel said on March 25. The Suezmax tanker Pola discharged 1 million barrels of Khafji crude at Thailand and Singapore, Kpler data showed. © 2026 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

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  • Ruth Chai; Florence TanBy Ruth Chai; Florence Tan

    The U.S. blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports adds to uncertainty over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been all-but-shut since the start of the Iran war. Ordinarily, roughly one fifth of global oil and gas exports transit the Strait of Hormuz. He…

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Key points: Bitcoin diverges from US stocks as Trump says Strait of Hormuz “open” Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD building on the week’s gains as the S&P 500 bounced from 7,696, its lowest level since Aug. 4. BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView This came after US president Donald Trump posted a map of the closed Strait of Hormuz oil route to Truth Social where it was labeled “new US territory.

” Both the US and Iran lay claim to control of Hormuz, with Trump threatening US ally Oman with military action over its plans to work with Iran on charging tolls to shipping traffic. In a subsequent post, Trump confirmed that further diplomacy with Iran was not on the agenda.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” he wrote. S&P 500 one-day chart.

Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView As on Monday, oil avoided major volatility, with WTI crude down 1% at the time of writing at $84 per barrel. US government bonds continued to show strain, with the 30-year yield hitting 5.34%, its highest since January 2007.

“Bond prices are sending warnings,” BNY Mellon analyst Geoff Yu wrote in a research note quoted by the New York Times. Yu said that the surge came as “investors demand more compensation for inflation risk,” while also attributing the upside to government borrowing.

US 30-year bond yields one-month chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView BTC price faces crunch rebound test Updating X followers on BTC/USD, trader and analyst Aksel Kibar eyed the culmination of a potential reverse head-and-shoulders pattern at $62,300.

Related: Bitcoin price spike to $64.5K was ‘low-volume liquidity trap’: Analysis “If $BTCUSD is going to rebound, it has to come from here,” he argued on Monday. Kibar offered a $53,000 target in the event of the head-and-shoulders structure failing, with $76,000 a potential upside target should the rebound sustain.

BTC/USD one-day chart. Source: Aksel Kibar on X.com Previously, Cointelegraph reported that underwater investors were contributing to Bitcoin’s inability to break higher. Its rebound to $64,500 also stopped short of an overhead trend line, the 50-month exponential moving average (EMA).

This moving average is now in place as resistance at $65,827.

Location: Strait of Hormuz
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Trump says no talks underway with Iran, Hormuz blockade remains in place US president says no discussions are taking place or planned with Tehran and reiterates that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains fully operational Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no talks are taking place with Iran and that no discussions are currently scheduled between the two countries.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump also said the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains "in full force and effect." The president did not provide further details regarding US policy towards Iran or any potential future diplomatic engagement.

Trump's comments come amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed focus on security and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Location: Tehran
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran had “won both the war and diplomacy,” claiming those who initially sought Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” later sought negotiations. Speaking at an event, Araghchi said Iran resisted for days against what he described as “the world’s largest apparent military,” alongside another army claiming military power and with the support of nearly all Western countries and some other states inside and outside the region, according to the Tasnim news agency.

“Those who were seeking unconditional surrender, shortly after the war began, begged for negotiations,” Araghchi said. He claimed Tehran initially rejected a ceasefire and continued fighting until reaching a point where the other side accepted a ceasefire and negotiations “on Iran’s terms.

” “We fought with strength, and we negotiated with strength,” he said, adding that many foreign ministers had told him: “You won both the war and diplomacy.” Araghchi’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump called on Iran on Monday to give up and “raise the white flag.

Location: Tehran
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- Iran demands US lift sanctions and return frozen assets to reopen Strait of Hormuz - Iran's Parliament Speaker warns closure of Strait continues until US ends military threats - Around 20% of global oil supply passes through the Strait, impacting energy security Iran has warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US meets a set of conditions, including the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions and what Tehran describes as a US blockade and military threats.

Al-Arabiya English reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Trump administration must meet the conditions before Tehran considers reopening the strategic waterway. “Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed,” Ghalibaf said.

Until the Trump regime removes the blockade, ends the wars across the region, returns Iran's stolen assets, lifts the oil sanctions, and ceases its military threats, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. pic.twitter.com/fl2RrKnT1R— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) August 18, 2026 Ghalibaf also warned that Iran was prepared to respond more forcefully depending on the actions of its adversaries.

ALSO READ: 'We Control Hormuz': Trump To Declare Strait As US Territory? Here's What President Says The comments add a new condition to an already fragile diplomatic environment, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of concerns over global energy supplies.

Around one-fifth of global oil supply typically passes through the waterway, making any prolonged disruption a major risk for crude markets, shipping and energy security. Earlier, Press TV reported that Ghalibaf is scheduled to travel to Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level Iranian delegation for discussions with Iraqi leaders.

The talks are expected to cover regional developments and bilateral cooperation, including border security, counterterrorism, economic ties and implementation of existing agreements. Iraqi media have also reported that the agenda could include a proposal concerning Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit comes as regional governments grapple with the implications of continued disruption in one of the world's most important energy corridors. ALSO READ: Hormuz Tensions: Another Ship Hit By Unknown Projectile, Says UKMTO Centre The security situation in the waterway has also remained tense.

The UK's Maritime Trade Operations agency, or UKMTO, said a vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. “The Company Security Officer has reported that the vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while conducting an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz,” UKMTO said.

The impact damaged the vessel's engine room and resulted in a crew casualty, the agency said. The remaining crew was being assisted by the Omani coastguard. Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

Location: Tehran