Washington says Iranian seaborne oil exports have been fully halted

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Saturday that Iran’s seaborne oil exports had been completely halted, as part of Washington’s efforts to tighten economic pressure and isolate Tehran.

Speaking to Axios, Bessent said the United States had facilitated the passage of around 1.1 billion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran had been unable to move any barrels through the strategic waterway.

He added that, for the first time since Iran began exporting oil, the country would have no oil shipped by sea this week, stressing that the United States was isolating Iran on an “unprecedented” scale.