Iran Loaded Zero Crude Oil In September, Bessent Says

RFE
02 Oct 2026

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09:55

Bessent Says Iran Loaded Zero Crude Oil In September

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran did not load any crude oil onto tankers in September, a claim supported by preliminary data from several tanker-tracking companies.

"Iran loaded ZERO crude oil onto tankers in September," Bessent wrote on X on October 1, adding that the Trump administration was cutting off the Iranian government's "most critical source of revenue."

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Preliminary tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed no Iranian crude loadings during September. Kpler and Vortexa also recorded zero Iranian crude loadings during the month.

Iran had loaded an estimated 220,000 to 255,000 barrels per day of crude oil and condensate in August, according to Kpler and Vortexa data cited by Reuters.

Iran has continued supplying some Chinese buyers from oil held in floating storage in Asian waters, including near Singapore, but those stocks are expected to decline without new cargoes leaving Iranian ports.

Bessent said the policy was part of Operation Economic Outcast, which he described as an effort to sever the economic lifelines sustaining the Iranian government.

The Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast on August 24, describing it as a government-wide campaign targeting Iran's financial connections and networks involved in oil smuggling, sanctions evasion, and other sources of revenue.

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09:49

Putin Hopes Strait Of Hormuz Will Open, US Sanctions Against Iran Will End

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on October 1.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 1 that he hoped the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to shipping and that sanctions against Iran would eventually be lifted.

Speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club in Moscow, Putin said Russia's proposal to take custody of Iran's enriched uranium, if it is removed from Iran, remains on the table.

Putin said Iran, the United States, and Israel had initially agreed to the proposal to transfer Iran's enriched uranium to Russia. But, he said, Washington later hardened its position and demanded that the uranium be sent only to the United States. Putin said Iran subsequently adopted a tougher stance.

The Russian president's comments followed an April 13 statement by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said Russia remained ready to take in Iran's enriched uranium as part of a potential agreement with Washington.

"The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon," Peskov said at the time. He said the proposal had been put forward by Putin in contacts with the United States and regional countries.

In his October 1 remarks, Putin reiterated that Moscow was willing to take the material and said the proposal could help resolve the impasse over Iran's nuclear program.

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent was estimated by the International Atomic Energy Agency at about 440 kilograms before the June 2025 attacks. However, the agency has since said it has lost continuity of knowledge regarding Iran's declared nuclear-material inventories and cannot independently verify the current location and status of the stockpile.

The fate of the stockpile has remained a central issue in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, alongside questions over future uranium enrichment and international verification.

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21:58

1.10.2026

British-Iranian Man Arrested As UK Air Base Investigation Expands

Armed police officers stand guard on a road outside the perimeter of the RAF Fairford airbase on September 28.

British counterterrorism officers arrested a 27-year-old dual British-Iranian citizen in London on October 1 as part of an investigation into suspicious activity linked to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The man was detained in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, according to Reuters and Britain's Counter Terrorism Policing. Investigators also questioned a 26-year-old British man under caution and searched two London properties.

The investigation began on September 27, when police detained five British men close to RAF Fairford. The men, who were between 23 and 25 years old and lived in London, had been traveling in three vehicles that attracted the attention of police. They were initially detained under the Explosives Act and were later investigated on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.

All five were released on police bail the following day and remain under investigation. Police have emphasized that their release was not an indication that the case had been closed and said restrictions had been imposed on those released.

Subsequent searches of the vehicles found no improvised explosive devices, police said. Officers did, however, recover a quantity of petrol.

RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire, is regularly used by the US military and has supported US bomber operations against Iran.

The new arrest came as British officials were examining a possible Iranian connection to the incident. On September 30, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were strong indications that Iran had been involved, while declining to discuss details that could affect the ongoing investigation.

Tehran has rejected the allegation. On October 1, Iranian authorities summoned Britain's ambassador in Tehran, Hugo Shorter, to protest the British government's claims.

British authorities have not publicly explained what specific evidence led to the latest arrest. Counterterrorism police have described the case as complex and said investigators are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including the possibility of involvement by a foreign state.

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17:56

1.10.2026

Oil Exports Find A Way Past Iranian Attacks, But Refinery Bottleneck Persists

Exports of crude oil from the Middle East hit their highest level in September since the war with Iran began, reinforcing a trend of increased supplies despite Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to analysis of shipping and commodity market data by industry observers.

But while crude levels have risen, the refinery bottleneck that has caused a global spike in diesel prices persists. European Union figures published on October 1 showed diesel pump prices at record levels. Prices have also surged in the United States despite the recovery in oil exports.

"More oil is coming out of the Middle East Gulf than many expected that would be possible even just a few months ago," Richard Meade, chief editor of Lloyds List, told an online briefing on October 1.

To read the full report, clickhere.

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17:04

1.10.2026

NATO Chief Calls US Iran Nuclear Strikes 'Absolutely Essential'

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte described the US military operation against Iran's nuclear program as "absolutely essential," while saying Europe currently lacks the capabilities to carry out such an operation itself.

Speaking on September 30 at the Euronews Defence & Space Summit in Brussels, Rutte said the United States had been capable of degrading Iran's nuclear capabilities, while European countries lacked the necessary means. He said Europe should develop such capabilities within the next 10 years.

"It should also be us taking care of the Houthis in the Red Sea and not the Americans," Rutte said, adding that the US operation against Iran has had consequences but was, in his view, "absolutely essential." He stressed that this was his own assessment and not necessarily the position of the wider NATO alliance.

Israel launched its war against Iran on June 13, 2025, striking Iranian military and nuclear facilities over 12 days. On June 22, 2025, the United States carried out strikes on Irans nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan using B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles. US officials reported the facilities were severely damaged, with President Donald Trump describing the sites as "completely and totally obliterated."

The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Association, Director-General Rafael Grossi, has continued to raise concerns over Iran's stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent and the agency's inability to verify its whereabouts. Iranian authorities have not permitted inspectors to fully access the damaged facilities.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has expressed readiness to dilute the enriched uranium while maintaining that Iran will not abandon its nuclear knowledge.

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16:45

1.10.2026

Will Iran 'Flex Its Muscles' In Iraq After US Military Pullout?

A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade marking the withdrawal of the US-led coalition from Iraq, in Baghdad on September 30.

The departure of US forces from Iraq will embolden Iran, experts say, warning that Tehran could seek to exploit a potential security vacuum to expand its influence in the smaller neighboring country.

Iran is already a key political and economic player in Iraq, where it backs powerful Shi'ite militias, some of which operate within the state security apparatus but have considerable autonomy.

The Islamic republic cast the end of the two-decade US military presence on September 30 as a major victory in its goal of driving American forces from the Middle East.

"Iran views any US weakness as a chance to push and be more aggressive, so I would expect to see the Iranians attempt to take advantage of the new status quo by flexing their muscles in Iraq," said Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank.

Experts also warn the US pullout could provide an opening for the resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, which has been significantly weakened but remains active in Iraq.

To read the full report, clickhere.

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16:00

1.10.2026

Pakistan Stresses Commitment To Iran Sanctions

Pakistan says it is committed to all sanctions against Iran in accordance with international and domestic laws.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan told his weekly press briefing on October 1 that his country values its "enduring and multifaceted" partnership with the United States and that Islamabad remains committed to further strengthening its diplomatic, economic, and security ties with Washington.

Khan was responding to a question regarding an earlier comment by his office stating that Pakistan would continue bilateral trade with Iran in accordance with international law.

Quoting Tahir Andarabi, an outgoing spokesman for the Pakistan ministry, Iran's official news agency, IRNA,reportedon August 27 that "Pakistan has consistently rejected unilateral measures and does not accept unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States."

However, Khan clarified that IRNA had quoted Andarabi "out of context." He added that being a responsible member of the international community, Pakistan "adheres to and shall continue to adhere to all applicable sanctions regimes in accordance with international as well as domestic laws."

He said Iran and the United States should resolve all their outstanding issues through dialogue and by honoring their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

Pakistan has been acting as a mediator between Iran and the United States since the start of the conflict on February 28. In April, Islamabad hosted the first face-to-face talks between US and Iranian delegations since the 1980s.

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14:54

1.10.2026

Tehran Air Traffic Falls 42 Percent After US Targets Iranian Airlines

An Airbus 380 lands at Iran's International Imam Khomeini Airport near Tehran. (file photo)

International flights to and from Tehrans main airport have fallen 42 percent since new US restrictions targeting Iranian airlines took effect on September 23, flight-tracking data shows, although several major routes remain in operation.

Imam Khomeini International Airport has averaged 53 international flights a day since the measures took effect, down from 91 previously, according to data compiled up to September 30 by air-traffic tracker Flightradar24. Services to Georgia, Oman and Azerbaijan have stopped, while flights to the United Arab Emirates and Iraq have also been sharply curtailed.

No flights between Iraq and Tehran have taken off since September 25, but Iraqs Transport Ministry said the United States had given permission for the countrys national carrierto resume flightsbetween the Shiite holy city of Najaf and Iran in October.

Flights between Tehran and China have remained steady at an average of eight a day, while traffic to Turkey, the airports busiest international route, has fallen by 19 percent. Services have also continued to countries including Armenia, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar.

The restrictions are part of a broader US campaign announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in August aimed at isolating Iran economically. In September, the US Treasury sanctioned Irans remaining active airlines and warned foreign companies supporting them that they risked being cut off from the US financial system.

Air traffic had already fallen sharply after Israeli-American strikes on Iran in February led to the closure of Iranian airspace.

With reporting by AFPShare

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18:28

30.9.2026

UK PM Links Iran To Airbase Incident

The incident near the RAF Fairford airbase in Britain on September 27 triggered a huge police response.

There are "strong indications" that Tehran was involved in suspicious activity close to a British airbase used by US forces to strike Iran, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on September 30.

In an incident which triggered a huge police response, five British men in their 20s were arrested on September 27 on suspected terrorism and explosive offences near RAF Fairford in western England.

All five of the suspects live in London. They were later released on bail as the investigation continues.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham (file photo)

"There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation," Burnham told the BBC in an interview.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (file photo)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi rejected UK's allegations saying London "barks up the wrong tree." In a social mediaposton September 30, hours after Burnham's statement, Araqchi wrote that releasing "supposed terrorists" who were allegedly working for a foreign state "says it all."

Until Burnham's remarks, Britain had not linked the Fairford events to Iran, though counterterrorism police have said their investigation included the possibility of foreign state involvement and the involvement of proxies "knowingly or unknowingly working on behalf of a foreign state."

With reporting by ReutersShare

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17:01

30.9.2026

Three Ships Struck By Unknown Projectiles In Hormuz Strait, Says UK Maritime Agency

Three tankers were struck by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on September 29, a British maritime security agency said, amid renewed attacks on shipping in the strategic waterway.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)saidon September 30 that three tankers were hit in separate incidents the previous day.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on September 30 that military confrontations occur in the Strait of Hormuz within every 24-hour period, adding that the United States had recently not been responding.

Iran has restricted commercial traffic through the strait during its conflict with the United States and has threatened or attacked vessels it accuses of unauthorized passage.

The United States has responded by targeting Iranian vessels and imposing a counterblockade on Iranian ports aimed at restricting Tehrans oil exports.

Before the war, around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait.

With reporting by AFP and dpaShare

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