Iran ramps up oil tanker loading as US builds military force
The Straits Times
The increase comes as the US amasses the largest fighting force in the Middle East since 2003. Read more at straitstimes.com.
TEHRAN - Iran has been loading oil onto tankers at a rapid pace in recent days, a potential sign of the Persian Gulf state’s preparations in case of an attack by the US.
Exports from Kharg Island from Feb 15 to 20 were at nearly 20.1 million barrels, data from analytics platform Kpler show.
That is almost three times the amount loaded over the same dates in January and the equivalent of more than three million barrels a day, far beyond Tehran’s usual daily rate.
The increase comes as the US amasses the largest fighting force in the Middle East since the second Gulf war in 2003.
In 2025, shortly before American air strikes, Iran rushed to get its oil out of its ports by shipping large volumes onto tankers and sending as much as it could to Kharg Island.
A similar pattern was also observed in 2024 during a period of elevated tension.
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