US sanctions halt all Iranian oil shipments for the first time

Iran did not load any crude oil shipments onto tankers during September, in the latest indication of the impact of the US naval blockade on Tehran's access to energy markets, according to preliminary tanker tracking estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Crude loading operations dropped to zero, compared to about 250,000 barrels per day in August, marking the first complete stoppage of its kind since the outbreak of war in February. Data from Kpler and Vortexa companies also recorded zero shipments of Iranian crude loaded last month. This decline indicates that Tehran has become less able or willing to test the US blockade imposed on its ports in the Gulf, increasing the difficulty of continuing crude sales to China, a main source of Tehran's revenues amid Washington's efforts to isolate its economy.