Iran loaded no crude onto tankers in September, down from about 250,000 BPD in August, preliminary tanker tracking estimates compiled by Bloomberg showed. Kpler and Vortexa also recorded zero loadings. Kpler analyst Homayoun Falakshahi said no laden tankers had escaped the blockade zone since its reimposition in mid-July. About 20 empty Iranian tankers were stranded off Sri Lanka with food, fuel and fresh water running short, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Iran’s Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh rejected forecasts of imminent economic collapse. “For years, they have been saying that Iran’s economy will collapse in two weeks or a month. That certainly will not happen,” he said. Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, called Bessent’s earlier claim that Iran had two weeks of cash left “a pretty bold statement,” saying it was hard to know from outside how much money the government actually had.