Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has revealed that the ongoing war with the United States has effectively taken 15 percent or 1,200 oil tankers out of service.
Rezaei taunted how the United States initially believed it could end the war within days and take control of Iran’s oil and gas resources. His comments were reported by Iranian state media and circulated by RT.
Rezaei’s comments come as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted. Reuters reported that only seven commodity ships crossed the waterway on August 20, compared with normal traffic levels that previously carried nearly 20 percent of global crude oil and LNG shipments. No large crude carriers or LNG tankers were recorded among those crossings that day.
The disruption has left commercial vessels stranded or delayed across the Persian Gulf. The US Naval Institute reported earlier this month that at least 70 ships remained trapped in the Persian Gulf.
Latest shipping data has documented a major reduction in vessel movements and a substantial number of ships affected by the US war on Iran.
The impact has extended beyond shipping. Oil flows through Hormuz this month fell from around 18 million barrels per day to roughly 2 million barrels per day.
The tanker shortage has also pushed shipping costs sharply higher. Gulf producers are scrambling to secure tankers, and rates for some large tankers on high-risk routes have surged to as much as $550,000 per day.
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