By Xenix News
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A man observes the India-flagged tanker Desh Garima while it discharges crude oil at an unloading terminal after passing through the Strait of Hormuz, amidst supply interruptions tied to the U.S.-Israeli dispute with Iran, in Mumbai, India, on April 30, 2026. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters
The halt of oil and gas shipments from the Gulf will increasingly affect the situation in the weeks ahead as current inventories are depleted, according to industry leaders and analysts.
According to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, supplies have decreased from roughly 20 million barrels a day prior to the conflict — and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz — to nearly one billion barrels a day in April.
Kpler stated, “Although a slow recovery could start in June, the rebalancing remains unfinished, resulting in a tighter global oil market that depends more on inventories and adjustments in demand.”
A US oil executive who met with President Donald Trump on Thursday stated that the market has yet to fully absorb the effects of the disruption.
“If the strait stays closed, there will be additional developments,” Exxon’s CEO Darren Woods informed shareholders on Friday.
Woods stated that the impact on supply was alleviated by the substantial number of oil tankers transporting cargo during the war’s initial month, the release of strategic petroleum reserves by nations, and the utilization of existing inventories.
Experts indicate that the buffer is currently exhausted. The US Energy Information Administration reported that US gasoline inventories dropped to 222 million barrels on April 24, marking the lowest level for this time of year in over ten years.
Recently, only a few crossings have occurred through Hormuz, as reported by Kpler and various shipping data sources.
The UK Navy stated Friday that “traffic through Hormuz has decreased by 90% since the conflict started, with less than 10 vessels a day currently passing through the strait,” leaving approximately 20,000 sailors stuck on ships in the Gulf.
On Friday, Trump mentioned that there are alternatives beyond the current US blockade of vessels utilizing Iranian ports, aimed at weakening Iranian crude production and exports.
Iran has demonstrated no inclination to negotiate on the control of Hormuz that it claimed at the onset of the conflict.
“The new oversight of the Persian Gulf will take place under the authority of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution,” stated the semi-official Iranian news outlet Tasnim.
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