Details of the agreement remain to be made public. And the technical negotiations haven’t even started.
But in the gulf Persian A signal that the markets have been waiting for for weeks has already appeared.
Two gigantic Iranian oil tankers loaded with a total of 3.8 million barrels of crude oil have left the waters of the Islamic Republic for the first time in two months, breaking a blockade that had paralyzed a good part of the country’s energy exports and contributed to triggering tension in international markets.
The information has been revealed by the specialized portal TankerTrackers, which claims to have verified the movement using AIS maritime tracking systems and satellite images.
The vessels identified are the DIONA and the HERO2, two large-capacity oil tankers belonging to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), which managed to leave the perimeter of the naval blockade imposed around the Iranian coast.
It is the first Iranian oil export since maritime restrictions began to strangle the country’s energy trade.
Almost four million barrels return to the market
The figure is not less. Between both ships, they transport approximately 3.8 million barrels of oil, an amount sufficient to supply the consumption of numerous European countries for several days.
Besides, TankerTrackers assures that a third Iranian tanker, the STREAM, is currently approaching the country’s coasts from Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, where it would have remained for the last seven weeks waiting for safe conditions to operate.
The image is especially symbolic because in recent months oil has become one of the main fronts of the conflict between the United States and Iran.
The closing of and restrictions on navigation caused a strong alteration in global energy flows. About a fifth of the oil consumed on the planet usually circulates through this maritime corridor.
Every movement in the area was closely followed by governments, energy companies and investors around the world.
The economy comes before diplomacy
The return of the tankers to the market occurs just a few days before the United States and Iran officially sign in Switzerland the memorandum of understanding that should open a new phase of negotiations.
The ceremony is scheduled for this Friday in the Bürgenstock complex and will serve to launch a diplomatic process aimed at reaching a definitive agreement within 60 days.
Although the full text is not yet known, one of the priorities of both parties is to guarantee the permanent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and normalize commercial traffic in the region.
For this reason, many analysts consider that the departure of these oil tankersmarks the first practical gesture of relaxation between Washington and Tehran.
Even before the documents are signed, the economy seems to be starting to react.
Trump vows to keep Hormuz open
From the international summit held these days in the French town of Évian, the American president, Donald Trump, He insisted that he trusts that the schedule agreed with Iran will be met without delays.
The president also reiterated that any definitive agreement must guarantee two fundamental objectives for Washington: prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping.
Meanwhile, the tankers are moving again. It may seem like a technical detail reserved for energy or maritime transport specialists, but in reality it represents something much more important. After months of attacks, threats, blockades and tensions, Iranian oil is sailing again.
And in the Middle East, few signs are as telling as that when a war really begins to fizzle out.
