Iran pursues various tactics to bypass the U.S. blockade, which President Trump reimposed in the middle of July after the deal to make a deal collapsed, according to Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad.
“The oil industry has not sat idle and has not stopped,” Iranian media quoted the minister as saying.
“We are pursuing various solutions and different measures so that we can reach a day when we are able to completely bypass this blockade,” Paknejad added.
Iran managed to move a lot of oil out of the Persian Gulf during the brief three-week period in which the U.S. blockade was lifted between mid-June and mid-July, the minister said.
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Iran also claims it pursues efforts to boost oil and associated gas production despite the war and the U.S. strikes.
Vessel-tracking services have estimated that Iran’s oil exports plunged in August from a year earlier after the U.S. reinstated the blockade in the middle of July.
Iran managed to load around 260,000 barrels per day (bpd) for export at its ports in August, an 80% slump compared to 1.7 million bpd loaded in August 2025, per data from trade intelligence firm Kpler cited by CNBC.
The August loadings were also more than halved compared to about 740,000 bpd in July 2026.
Kpler and other ship-tracking services, including Vortexa and TankerTrackers.com say the reinstated blockade has been very effective in crippling Iranian oil exports and oil revenues.
TankerTrackers.com this week said that its estimates showed that Iran’s oil exports plunged by 100% in August 2026 compared to the immediate pre-war baseline of January and February 2026.
The U.S. is attempting to inflict maximum economic damage to Iran with the blockade and the ‘Economic D-Day’ announced last week.
China, Iran’s top and almost only oil buyer, has signaled it would not end its ties and trade relations with Iran following the U.S. sanctions that target Chinese and Hong Kong entities for helping Iran do business.
“China will do everything necessary to firmly safeguard its rights and interests,” Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a regular press conference after the U.S. launched “Operation Economic Outcast” against Iran.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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