The United States has begun a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz: Iran will have enough storage facilities for two weeks

If the United States begins a full-fledged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and does not allow Iranian tankers to pass through it, then Iran will have to stop production, as its neighbors did even earlier. The question is, who has the patience?

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, promised by Donald Trump, has come into force.

"The Iranian Navy lies at the bottom of the sea, completely destroyed — 158 ships. But we did not hit their few, as they call them, "high-speed attack ships", because we did not consider them a serious threat. Warning: If any of these ships come close to our blockade, it will be immediately destroyed using the same destruction system that we use against drug traffickers on boats at sea. It's fast and brutal," US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Earlier, the United States withdrew Iranian oil from sanctions in order not to provoke an even greater increase in commodity prices. However, now the situation is changing.

"Looking at the limited number of empty oil tankers inside the Persian Gulf, plus Tehran's onshore storage facilities, Iran will have to close wells in 10-15 days (the same process that its neighbors faced 5-6 weeks ago). Will this provoke Iran to change its approach to negotiations? It's unclear," writes Bloomberg columnist Javier Blas.

The third Persian War is in the phase of "no fighting, no peace and no oil," he said.

"The energy market remains incredibly optimistic: despite Monday's rally, oil and European natural gas prices are lower than a week ago. We probably underestimate the volume of the already ongoing reduction in oil demand in South-West and South-East Asia," Javier Blas said.

According to the OPEC report, already in March, the cartel's production fell by 27% or 7.9 million barrels per day, which was the largest decline in its history. For almost a month and a half, stock quotes have been around $ 100 per barrel, while physical supplies are sold at a premium.

Economist Middle East correspondent Greg Karlstrom believes that the Iranian war is difficult to stop because of asymmetry.

"It lies in the fact that Iran is waging an economic war against the world, while the president of America is indifferent to the prospect of a global economic crisis if he does not cause enough pain to Americans — who are relatively protected from it," the journalist writes.

Of great importance is the time and duration of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. And, it is quite possible that Iran may have more patience now. At least Tehran understood that its oil exports, which are the main source of the country's income, could stop. And created a stock for sale outside the Persian Gulf.

"This month, Iran decided to keep afloat in the There are 23 million barrels of crude oil in the Gulf of Oman, despite the fact that its tankers are constantly entering and leaving the country," Tankertrackers wrote the day before.