Iran bypasses Trump’s ‘wall of steel’, media

Three Iranian oil tankers slipped past the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz by routing through Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone, arriving at ports like Chabahar and Jask over the past two days. Tehran’s IRNA reported the vessels, owned by the National Iranian Oil Company, have a combined capacity of about 5 million barrels. The maneuver undercuts President Trump’s boast of an impenetrable “wall of steel” that “nobody goes through.”

The blockade, imposed last month to strangle Iran’s oil trade and force nuclear concessions, has disrupted exports but not collapsed the economy. A leaked U.S. intelligence assessment obtained by the Washington Post concludes Tehran can endure for at least three to four months before facing severe hardship. One source told the Post Iran’s situation is “nowhere near as dire as some have claimed.”

Iran has adapted by using tankers as floating storage and cutting output to protect infrastructure. Analysts estimate the country holds 65-75 million barrels in floating storage, enough for 36-42 days of its prewar crude exports. Ports outside the Hormuz choke point and new overland routes from Pakistan have kept trade flowing despite American patrols concentrated in the strait.