ICYMI: Bloomberg Features UANI Analysis Showing Iran Failed to Export Any Crude Oil in May

(New York, NY) — A new Bloomberg report citing UANI analysis underscores what UANI has maintained since the beginning of the U.S. naval blockade—that the blockade is working, enforcement is effective, and Iran’s IRGC-controlled oil-export economy is under severe strain.

This week, Bloomberg reported on UANI data showing that Iran did not successfully move any crude oil past the blockade during May. The report follows weeks of mounting evidence that Tehran’s oil exports have collapsed, storage facilities are filling, production has been curtailed, and tankers carrying Iranian crude are idling without buyers or viable routes to market.

This latest development confirms the central conclusion of UANI's April 22 assessment: selective but credible enforcement by the U.S. Navy has entirely altered the risk calculus for sanctions evaders, shipping companies, insurers, traders, and purchasers of Iranian crude. As UANI noted in its “U.S. Naval Blockade is Working and Effective” fact sheet, the blockade’s success should not be measured solely by vessels interdicted at sea, but by its broader deterrent effect on the entire illicit oil-export network.
 

UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace added:

“The Iranian regime relies on oil revenues generated through sanctions evasion to fund its nuclear program, support terrorist proxies, and sustain domestic repression. Tehran’s inability to export crude oil during May significantly disrupted the regime’s primary source of hard-currency earnings.

“UANI’s latest findings also validate our earlier assessment that reports focusing exclusively on ships physically stopped by U.S. forces miss the larger strategic reality. A blockade succeeds when vessels turn around, cargoes remain unsold, buyers hold back, and exports fail to reach customers. The results are clear. Iran’s oil exports have been severely degraded, and the regime faces growing storage and production constraints.”

As UANI has long maintained, maximum pressure works when enforced. Sustained economic pressure backed by credible maritime enforcement will deny the Iranian regime the revenues it depends upon to finance its malign activities.

Click here to read UANI’s April 22 statement, “The U.S. Naval Blockade is Working and Effective—FAQs and Key Facts”