Iran turns back oil tanker heading to Syria after Assad's ouster

Media sources said that Iran has stopped an oil shipment heading to Syria, following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

According to the Syria TV website, ship tracking data showed that a tanker carrying Iranian oil to Syria returned to the Red Sea, following the overthrow of the deposed regime leader, Bashar al-Assad.

The Kpler maritime data analysis company stated that the tanker (Lotus) changed its destination before entering the Suez Canal on December 8, to begin sailing south in the Red Sea carrying about one million barrels of Iranian oil. The Tanker Trackers website reported that the tanker Lotus changed its destination in the Red Sea.

Kpler said that the tanker, which flies the Iranian flag and is loaded with crude from the Iranian island of Kharg, was sailing south in the Red Sea off Egypt and was not indicating a new destination.

The Assad regime has relied mainly on Iranian oil shipments to fuel the economy of the areas under its control. According to the Kpler maritime data analysis company, Iran has sent about 19 million barrels of crude to Syria since the beginning of 2024.