Iran Tanker Tracking

Economic pressure can compel Tehran to moderate its destructive behavior and end its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Crude and natural gas exports historically account for 25% of government revenues: it is therefore important to accurately track Iran’s oil exports to interpret if sanctions are effectively stopping the flow of revenue to the regime.

This can be difficult given the regime’s track-record of smuggling and sanctions evasion techniques and there is little consensus among oil tracking agencies about how much is getting through, and to where.

This variance mars the accuracy of media reports, but it also presents a serious challenge to those trying to get a handle on the trajectory of the Iranian economy, given its oil revenue dependency.

More importantly, a correct accounting of quantities and destinations will help focus limited resources to where they are really needed: which shippers, which vessels, which areas, which ports, which flags, which insurers.

UANI has therefore sought to address the information gap with a new comprehensive ship-tracking methodology.

Using Automatic Identification System (AIS), satellite imagery, vessel comparison and tanker classification, and cargo datasets to uncover all under-the-radar ship-to-ship (STS) transfers and exports of Iranian oil and gas condensates, we generate what we contend are the most accurate figures available.

This resource seeks to disrupt Iran’s attempts to generate profits from oil sales and further isolate the regime economically.

  • Exports Over Time
  • Shipping Analysis
  • April 2025
    Barrels Per Day (BPD)
April Total: 1,597,993
April 2025 Iran Tanker Tracker
May 01, 2025 | Claire Jungman

On April 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a significant update to its maritime sanctions advisory aimed at helping global shipping and trade stakeholders detect and prevent the evasion of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil.

This latest advisory reflects a growing urgency. It marks the first such update under President Trump's renewed "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, formally reinstated in February 2025 through National Security Presidential Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2). The goal is clear: drive Iran’s oil exports — and, by extension, its destabilizing activities — down to zero.
Read more