Ship traffic tracking data shows that the US naval blockade has not stopped the second sanctioned supertanker from entering the Persian Gulf, Reuters reports.
US President Donald Trump announced the blockade on the 12th of April after peace talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad failed to yield any results. The US Central Command (Centcom) reported on the X website that since the blockade began, ten ships have been asked to turn back, and no ship has managed to get through the blockade.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on the 15th of April that, despite the blockade, an Iranian supertanker, which is subject to US sanctions, has passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Fars did not name the specific vessel or provide information about its route.
LSEG and Kpler data show that the empty supertanker RHN entered the Persian Gulf on the 15th of April. It is not known where the tanker, which can carry two million barrels of oil, is headed. Its entry into the Persian Gulf comes a day after another Iranian supertanker subject to US sanctions, the Alicia, passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Kpler data shows it is headed for Iraq.
Both tankers have previously been carrying Iranian oil.
Among the ships ordered by the US to stop their planned route is the sanctioned Rich Starry, which returned to the Persian Gulf on the 15th of April.
The US, in an apparent bid to gain the upper hand in the negotiations, has warned that it could impose secondary sanctions on buyers of Iranian oil. A source in Tehran said Iran could allow ships to pass through the strait on its Omani side, part of a proposal made in talks with the US, but on condition that an agreement is reached not to resume the conflict.
The US naval blockade is expected to reduce Iran’s crude oil exports, but analysts say Tehran could continue to produce about 3.5 million barrels of oil per day for weeks to come, storing it in offshore tanks.
According to Kpler, Iran exported 1.84 million barrels of oil per day in March and has so far exported 1.71 million barrels of oil per day in April. In 2025, Iran exported an average of 1.68 million barrels of oil per day.
Read also: How and why is the US blocking the Strait of Hormuz?