Iran Rushes To Load Oil Onto Ships In Anticipation Of US Strikes
Iran is loading almost three times the amount of oil it normally does onto tankers in the Persian Gulf in a sign it is anticipating a US attack that could prevent its oil from hitting the market.
Iranian oil exports from Kharg Island reached nearly 20.1 million barrels between 15 and 20 February, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing Kpler data. That is the equivalent of more than three million barrels per day (bpd) and almost three times the amount loaded over the same dates in January, Bloomberg said. For comparison, Iran’s previous three-month average of loadings was 1.54 million bpd.
Kharg Island is home to a massive terminal from which 90 percent of the Islamic Republic’s oil is exported. Iran raced to get its oil out of the country and onto ships for export abroad in June 2025, just before the US joined Israel’s attack on the country.
Kharg Island would also be more vulnerable to attack than the shadow fleet of tankers Iran uses to transport its oil. But Iran is not the only oil producer in the Middle East ramping up exports.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia is increasing its oil production and exports as part of a contingency plan - should a US attack on Iran disrupt supplies.
Saudi Arabia also made a similar decision in June 2025, lifting oil exports by around 0.5 million bpd and shipping crude to overseas storage units around the time of the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Reuters reported.
In a sign that more crude is hitting the seas, the costs of chartering Very Large Crude Carriers or VLCCs have more than tripled since the start of the year to over $170,000 per day, Reuters reported, citing data provided by financial market data group, LSEG.
Shipping rates are determined by supply and demand. The supply of VLCCs available to rent is largely fixed because they are massive vessels that take years to make. Prices rise when more VLCCs are booked.
F-22 fighter jets sent to Israel
Brent crude, the international benchmark, has risen in the past month amid rising tensions. It was trading up .38 percent on Wednesday at $70.84 per barrel.
US President Donald Trump has been toying with a strike on Iran since January, when the Iranian government oversaw a brutal crackdown on protesters. The demonstrations have died down, but Trump has continued to threaten Iran with an attack.
Iran is conducting military exercises on Abu Musa and other islands near Straits of Hormuz — unmistakable threat to shut the Staits if the US attacks. Iran has many drones and mines to put oil tankers at great risk and only need sink a few to shut down shipping lanes for weeks or… pic.twitter.com/7UCm0blu4u
— Robert A. Pape (@ProfessorPape) February 25, 2026
He has ordered the largest build-up of US military assets in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. There are two aircraft carriers in the region along with dozens of F-35, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the US also deployed a group of F-22 Raptor jets to Israel this week. The F-22 is a stealthy fifth-generation fighter jet used for dogfighting and ground strikes. Experts say the deployment of a group of F-22s to a foreign country in peacetime is virtually unheard of, given their limited numbers and advanced features.