Middle East oil exports surpass pre-war levels despite tensions, data shows

What the report says

Middle East crude exports have climbed above pre-war levels on several days in late September, according to provisional ship-tracking data cited by Al Jazeera from Kpler. The report said exports from the region rose to roughly 19.5 million to 22.5 million barrels per day on Sept. 24 and again from Sept. 27 to 29, even as tensions remained high around the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters. Kpler’s figures also showed broader exports of crude, oil products, chemicals and non-gas liquids averaging 22.4 million barrels per day in the seven days to Sept. 30.

Al Jazeera reported that the data includes movements through the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, terminals and ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman, while cargoes with transponders switched off would not be captured. The outlet also noted that liquefied natural gas cargoes leaving Hormuz reached their highest monthly level since February in September. In contrast, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Ali Fadavi said in a televised interview that oil traffic through the US-supervised route in the strait was minimal and claimed US warships were vulnerable, remarks that could not be independently verified in the article.

The report comes amid a broader regional standoff involving Iran, the United States and maritime security in the Gulf. Al Jazeera said the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency had logged repeated incidents in the Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Aden since Oct. 2, underscoring how commercial shipping continues despite the risk of disruption.