Iran exported more than 80 million barrels of oil and petroleum products worth over $6 billion during the brief window between the lifting and reimposition of US sanctions, according to new data released Tuesday, as reported by infohub.kz.
Data from TankerTrackers.com shows that from June 18 to July 13, Iran shipped record volumes of oil to foreign buyers, exploiting a temporary gap when American sanctions were lifted but not yet reinstated.
As negotiations with the West deteriorated last week, Tehran reportedly accelerated its export pace. On the night of July 8-9 alone, more than 10 million barrels of oil were sent abroad.
US sanctions were reimposed on July 13, ending the export surge. An estimated 30 million barrels of oil remain in Iran's onshore storage facilities.
The unexpected oil revenue has revised previous assessments of Iran's economic outlook. Intelligence sources had earlier predicted Tehran could face severe economic difficulties by August, but the recent export earnings are expected to sustain financial stability for several more months.
Iran is also believed to hold about 60 million barrels of oil in floating storage, which remains potentially vulnerable to the renewed US sanctions.