Saudi Aramco loaded eight million barrels of crude oil onto four Bahri supertankers at the Ras Tanura terminal on June 26-27, 2026.
This marked its first regional export operation in nearly four months.
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Hours after the loading finished, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps halted maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The closure followed localized military escalations between Washington and Tehran.
The newly loaded crude cargo is valued at approximately $583 million under current Brent market pricing.
The export push occurred as Middle Eastern energy producers rapidly accelerated output ahead of an interim agreement between the United States and Iran.
The IRGC declared the strait "closed to all vessels," citing recent military activities as contractual breaches of the ongoing diplomatic memorandum of understanding.
However, Iran's Foreign Ministry claimed that shipping lanes were "operating normally."
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The Persian Gulf Shipping Authority separately updated its regulatory guidelines, stating that non-compliant traffic would lose essential operational safety assurances.
The authority warned that passage outside designated routes would not be covered by safe passage guarantees or insurance.
Independent analysis indicates that Middle Eastern energy distribution networks had achieved notable recovery before the closure.
Market analysts confirmed that regional disruptions had reduced significantly over a three-week period.
"Two million barrels a day came back online in three weeks, and the recovery is spread across the region," said Aditya Saraswat, Rystad Energy's MENA research director.
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Global oil values fell by more than $1 a barrel on Friday due to rising supply pressures before reports of a fresh cargo vessel attack emerged.
