Satellite images reveal no activity at Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub: US media

Iran’s leadership is under intensifying pressure on multiple fronts as its partial control of the Strait of Hormuz erodes, oil exports collapse, and senior officials publicly urge an end to the nearly six-month conflict with the United States, said reports from US media.

Nearly 200 vessels passed through the strait last week, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center—a roughly 400% surge over the prior two weeks.

Maritime analysts at Kpler say the rise, enabled by US Navy escorts, signals that Tehran has lost partial control of the critical waterway.

More ships are turning off transponders and slipping through under American protection, while overall flows remain a fraction of pre-war levels.

At the same time, Iran’s own oil exports have fallen near zero under a renewed US naval blockade of its ports and President Donald Trump’s “economic D-Day” measures.

Satellite imagery shows little to no activity at the vital Kharg Island oil hub, which normally handles about 90% of the country’s crude shipments, according to conservative US outlet The New York Post.

Tankers sit idle offshore with no active loadings observed in recent days, leaving Tehran few options to ease an economy already strained by historically high inflation and unemployment.

Washington continues to tighten the screws.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has signaled additional penalties under the maximum-pressure campaign.

Trump announced the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” warning that any nation providing a “lifeline” to Iran—through oil smuggling, financial channels, or other means—would face “tremendous economic consequences.”

Compounding the isolation, the United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran “until further notice” after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward its territory and maritime traffic.

The UAE has long served as a key gateway for Iranian imports and access to third-country goods.

Iran’s new security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, responded with a warning: “Any country that becomes a partner in creating economic restrictions against us will be regarded by us as an enemy.”

Hardliners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) maintain that Tehran can endure the pressure while inflicting damage on the US and its allies.

Yet cracks are appearing in the leadership. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday: “The war must come to an end at some point… It is better that we demonstrate our strength and dignity today and tell the world that we have won and that we are ending the war.”

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added: “No matter how much military power we have, if our people are struggling and the country lacks financial circulation and economic growth, we will not achieve progress… As someone who has experienced war, I understand the true value of peace.”