Iran claims bypass to US naval blockade using Jask port

Iran has claimed it is bypassing the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz by using the Jask port on the Gulf of Oman, with oil exports to China holding steady at an average of 985,000 barrels per day in the first half of April, state news reported on April 24.

The Jask port, located on the Gulf of Oman, allows tankers to load oil and enter international waters directly without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The facility has allegedly enabled Iran to sustain energy exports to China despite the US-imposed blockade on Iranian ports, IntelliNews, however, could not verify the .

Between April 13 and April 22, data analytics firm Vortexa recorded 35 transits through the US blockade zone, including movements by Iran-linked or sanctioned vessels. These movements allowed at least 10.7mn barrels of Iranian crude to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian government has consolidated its control over the Strait of Hormuz this week by collecting the first transit tolls, with revenues deposited at the Central Bank of Iran, the agency said.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would not allow other countries to transit the strait freely while Iranian exports faced restrictions.

Under alleged conditions set by Tehran, only commercial vessels with prior Iranian authorisation will be permitted to transit. Ships linked to the US, Israel and other hostile states will be excluded.

Iran considers these measures part of its central role in the global economy, emphasising that around 20% of global oil and 35% of global gas transits the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has said it is using that position as leverage in response to what it describes as Washington's failure to observe the ceasefire.

The Jask oil terminal was inaugurated in July 2021 under the late President Ebrahim Raisi as part of Iranian efforts to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.

The terminal is linked to the Goureh-Jask pipeline running from oil fields in the south of the country, with a designed export capacity of 1mn barrels per day.

China has remained Iran's largest oil customer throughout the war and has been receiving discounted crude outside the formal sanctions framework.

Beijing dispatched three warships to the Gulf of Oman on April 20 in response to the US seizure of the Iranian vessel Touska.

Earlier this week, US forces seized three Iranian oil tankers in five days, most recently the VLCC Majestic X in the Indian Ocean on April 23.

US President Donald Trump has ordered the US Navy to shoot any boat attempting to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz and claimed total US control over the waterway.