More than a dozen Iran-flagged tankers, unable to reach Iranian ports because of a US blockade, have anchored off Sri Lanka's coast. The standoff highlights how the US campaign against Iran is preventing fuel imports and oil-export revenue six months into the war, even as it has failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Empty tankers seek shelter at sea
Ship tracking data shows about 13 Iranian tankers anchored on the edge of Sri Lanka's territorial waters, alongside several vessels linked to Iran's shadow fleet. The US blockade on ships using Iranian ports, first imposed in April and reintroduced in July after a month-long ceasefire collapsed, has cut them off from home.
Samir Madani, co-founder of maritime intelligence firm TankerTrackers.com, said a flotilla of approximately 20 state-owned Iranian tankers, all empty of cargo, sought shelter in Sri Lanka's exclusive economic zone. Their empty draught levels make them more likely to re-enter Iranian waters to load cargo, and therefore more exposed to strikes — a pattern Madani said matches past US Central Command air strikes on Iranian tankers.
US pressure mounts, exports stall
The blockade has emerged as one of Washington's most effective tools against Iran, blocking fuel imports and oil-export revenue, though it has not reopened the contested Strait of Hormuz or ended the war that began with the US-Israeli bombing campaign in February. US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the US would expand secondary sanctions against entities doing business with Iran; according to the FT, Bessent described the move as "economic D-Day."
As of August 24, US forces had redirected 71 merchant vessels away from Iran, disabled three and boarded another two to enforce compliance. Since mid-July, no tankers bound beyond the Gulf have loaded at Iran's main crude oil-exporting facility on Kharg Island, according to commodities platform Kpler. Instead, empty tankers have built up off Sri Lanka and Pakistan, while a further 48 vessels tracked by advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran are loitering off Malaysia, where cargoes have traditionally been transferred to Chinese vessels bound for independent refineries.
Risk of retaliation
The tankers off Sri Lanka are skirting territorial waters, where international law bars the US from striking, analysts said. In March, a US submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena roughly 19 nautical miles from the Sri Lankan coast. Sri Lanka's ports ministry and navy said they were unaware of Iranian tankers gathering off the country's coast.
Brett Erickson, managing principal of Obsidian Risk Advisors, said the blockade was unlikely to force open the strait despite its success in halting Iranian ship movements. He added that Bessent's sanctions push risked an Iranian retaliation that could devastate the global economy.
Source: FT Markets
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