Iran rapdily boosts oil tanker loadings as US military presence surmounts

Iran has accelerated the loading of oil onto tankers at Kharg Island to an unusually rapid pace, a direct indication the regime is preparing for a looming U.S. military attack.

Exports between February 15 and 20 reached nearly 20.1 million barrels according to Kpler tracking. That total is almost three times the volume loaded over the same dates in January and equates to more than three million barrels per day, far exceeding Tehran’s normal daily rate.

This surge follows the precise pattern Iran employed before previous American air strikes last year and in 2024, when the regime rushed to evacuate as much crude as possible from ports and concentrate supply at Kharg Island.

Oil production and exports form the central pillar of Iran’s economy. By flooding tankers now the regime seeks to unlock maximum output and move strategic reserves to sea before any disruption.

Satellite imagery analyzed by Bloomberg shows the scale of the effort. The number of tankers in waters southeast of Kharg Island more than doubled from eight to 18 during those six days. A partial view on February 22 still showed nine remaining.

Crude inventories onshore have dropped in tandem. At least seven tanks appeared full on February 15 while six looked noticeably emptier by February 20. Overall storage fell to around 67 percent over the weekend after sitting at 88 percent full on January 26, when it held roughly 30 million barrels.

Analyst Samir Madani of TankerTrackers.com confirmed Iran has been loading “as much oil as possible” and that the tankers “will definitely disperse away from the island in case of a new round of air strikes.” February export averages are projected between 1.5 and 1.6 million barrels per day thanks to this acceleration.