Iranian oil tankers leave blockade zone ahead of talks
Several tankers carrying Iranian crude oil have crossed the United States blockade line near the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a new round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the conflict and easing sanctions, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
According to maritime monitoring service TankerTrackers, Iran has resumed crude exports for the first time in two months.
In a post on X, the tracking service said the tanker Sonia I “exited the blockade line” at 01:11 GMT.
TankerTrackers also reported that the National Iranian Tanker Company vessels Diona and Hero 2, carrying a combined 3.8 million barrels of crude, crossed the blockade line on Tuesday. Another tanker, Stream, was heading toward Iranian ports, while Sonia I, carrying around 1 million barrels of oil, passed the U.S. Navy blockade line in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday.
The developments come ahead of negotiations scheduled to begin Friday at Switzerland's Burgenstock resort. The talks are expected to follow the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.
According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, the negotiations will continue for 60 days and focus on Iran's nuclear program, as well as a roadmap for lifting international sanctions.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that G7 leaders concluded their summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, adopting a series of declarations on global security, economic development, public health, migration and the fight against organized crime.