Iran’s very large oil carrier (VLCC) Dorena was spotted off the Indian coast on Saturday and is expected to deliver its oil cargo to the country amid the blockade, according to Fars news agency, citing TankerTrackers, a tanker tracking company, as Tehran reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz.
The report said the shipment marked the third oil cargo India had received from Iran in at least a week, taking the total volume of Iranian crude purchased so far to around six million barrels.
“The vessel has now appeared on the AIS tracking system off the southern coast of India and is ready to deliver approximately two million barrels of oil to a local refinery on the last day of the US sanctions relief. Last Monday was the first time in seven years that an Iranian VLCC unloaded two million barrels of oil in India,” the report said.
The Iranian Consulate in Hyderabad also posted about it on X.
The Strait of Hormuz Crisis
The standoff over competing blockades in the Strait of Hormuz entered uncertain territory on Saturday as the United States continued its efforts to cut off Iranian ports while Iran took an earlier step toward reopening the vital waterway.
Uncertainty over the key maritime sticking point threatened to worsen the ongoing global energy crisis and heighten tensions between the two nations, although mediators remained optimistic that a new deal could be reached.
Read also | Dealing with Iran, the rise of China and the shrinking base of US allies
Iran’s Joint Military Command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its original state … under the strict management and control of the armed forces.” It also warned that transit through the strait will remain limited as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports continues.
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of Iran’s parliament’s national security committee, mentioned that the strait is “returning to the status quo,” which he previously explained will include ships needing permission from the Iranian navy and paying tolls before passing through.
Read also | In the AI propaganda war, Iran is winning
The change came just a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the strait was open, coinciding with a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon. Ending Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who earlier accused Israel of violating last week’s ceasefire by striking Lebanon. However, Israel argued that the agreement did not cover Lebanon.
US President Donald Trump initially appeared to support reopening the strait, but later clarified that the US blockade would “remain in full force” regardless of Iran’s actions until a broader deal is reached, including conditions related to Iran’s nuclear program.
While the U.S.-Iran truce appeared to be on hold, continued shifts and uncertainty around the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies normally flow, underscored how fragile the situation remains and how quickly it could collapse.
Read also | Yields fall as hopes of an end to the Iran war dampen inflation concerns
Control of the strait has remained one of Iran’s key sources of influence, prompting the United States to deploy military forces and impose a blockade on Iranian ports in an attempt to get Tehran to accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire aimed at ending the nearly seven-week conflict involving Israel, the US and Iran.
Data company Kpler reported that traffic through the strait remains limited to designated routes that require Iran’s permission.
According to United States Central Command, US forces have turned back 21 vessels bound for Iran since the blockade began on Monday, as reported on X.
Meanwhile, despite rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani officials said the United States and Iran were making progress toward a potential deal ahead of an April 22 ceasefire deadline.
