It was reported that Iran shipped over 6 billion dollars of petroleum products during the 26-day free period in which the blockade was lifted following the agreement with the USA.
According to the news on the US-based Washington Examiner site, in the 26-day period between the signing of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and the re-enforcement of the US blockade, Tehran shipped more than $6 billion worth of oil products to foreign buyers.
According to TankerTrackers.com data, Iran shipped more than 80 million barrels of crude oil and refined products between June 18, when the first blockade was lifted, and July 13, when it was reimposed.
But about 30 million barrels of Iranian crude could not be shipped because the blockade closed before Tehran could ship its full storage capacity.
TankerTrackers stated that when shipments and returning ships are taken into account, there is still over 60 million barrels of floating storage capacity within the borders of the blockade.
As negotiations began to falter last week, the research firm found that Tehran began a race to ship as much oil as possible before the blockade was reimposed.
Iran shipped over 10 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products just on the night of July 8-9. In the first 24 hours after the blockade was lifted in June, Tehran shipped 20 million barrels of oil.
According to the news, this cash inflow and the partial emptying of oil tanks will extend the economic endurance period by "giving breathing space" to Tehran.
Intelligence estimates shared while the initial blockade was in effect indicated that Iran would only be able to hold out until August before suffering a complete economic collapse. Although uncertainty about the new timetable remains, it seems likely that the current cash flow will extend Iran's staying power for a few more months.
Although Iran's total oil storage capacity is not exactly known, Kpler and Bloomberg estimate the figure at approximately 95 million barrels. When floating storage capacity is added, it is estimated that Iran can hold approximately 155 million barrels of oil.