Paris (France) (AFP) – Iran was the top exporter of commodities through the Strait of Hormuz in March, as shipments from other countries fell off a cliff with Tehran’s blockade of the vital waterway, data by analytics firm Kpler showed.
Iran is usually the fifth largest exporter of commodities — goods such as crude oil and other petroleum products, liquified natural gas (LNG), and dry bulk including fertilisers — through the strait. But shipments by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Qatar dropped by at least 96 percent each in March compared to the previous 12 months’ average, according to Kpler. Iran’s shipments did also fall — but by only 26 percent, the data showed.
Tehran’s forces choked off the strait after Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel on February 28. Since then, it has allowed only a trickle of ships to pass through. Around a fifth of the world’s crude oil and LNG normally passes through the strait, and Tehran’s paralysing of it ignited fears of a global energy crisis, with Asian countries in particular impacted in recent weeks.
A US blockade of Iranian ports has appeared to further curb traffic of the trade route already paralysed by Iranian forces in recent days. Bahrain and Kuwait did not ship any commodities through the strait in March. Qatar, normally a major LNG supplier, exported just 45,000 tonnes of butane and propane through the strait in March, and no LNG.
Crude oil made up 81 percent of Iran’s exports through the Strait of Hormuz last month, up from 62 percent on average from March 2025 to February 2026.
© 2024 AFP
