Top News

Tehran. A major game of hide and seek is underway between the US and Iran in the ocean. A recent report has created a stir worldwide. Monitoring firm TankerTrackers.com claims that a large Iranian oil tanker has escaped the strict blockade imposed by the US Navy. This ship has now reached the Asia-Pacific region. This incident is raising many questions about America’s vigilance. This is an indication that tensions between the two countries in the ocean are at their peak.

In fact, the US has attempted to restrict Iran’s oil trade to inflict economic damage. To this end, the US Navy has imposed a strict maritime blockade. However, according to a tracking firm, a large Iranian ship has successfully breached this blockade. This ship is no small vessel; it is carrying millions of barrels of crude oil. This incident has demonstrated that Iran is finding new and hidden ways to sell its oil.

How many dollars’ worth of oil did the Iranian ship carry?
According to the monitoring firm TankerTrackers.com, this Iranian ship left with approximately 1.9 million barrels of crude oil.
The value of this massive quantity of oil is estimated to be approximately $220 million.
This massive ship (Very Large Crude Carrier or VLCC) is said to belong to the National Iranian Tanker Company.
The tracking firm has reported that this particular ship has been identified by the name “Huge.”

How did the ship conceal its location and where is it now?
According to reports, the ship was last seen about a week and a half ago near Sri Lankan waters.
Currently, the massive oil tanker is headed towards the Rio Archipelago via the Lombok Strait.
The firm said the tanker was in Iranian waters when the US Navy announced the blockade on April 13th.
The ship had turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) after departing for Iran from the Strait of Malacca on March 20th,
making it difficult to track its location.

What are the US and Iran’s claims regarding the blockade?
Iranian state media claimed on April 29 that at least 52 of its ships had succeeded in breaking the US blockade. Meanwhile, US military officials say that since the blockade began, they have forced approximately 41 Iranian-linked ships to return. US officials believe that their blockade is proving to be very effective and efficient. The US says that due to this, Iran is unable to export its oil and may be forced to store oil or halt production.

How much loss has Iran suffered so far?
On Saturday, the news website Axios published a major news quoting some officials. This report claimed that Iran has suffered huge economic losses due to this maritime blockade by America. According to the assessment of the US Defense Ministry, i.e. Pentagon, this blockade has caused a loss of approximately 4.8 billion dollars to Iran. If seen in Indian rupees, this loss is equivalent to oil revenue of about 456 billion rupees (Rs 45,600 crore).