The United States government decided this Friday (20) to temporarily ease sanctions on Iranian oil that was already loaded on ships, thus allowing the sale and delivery of this material as a measure to increase the world’s energy supply and contain the rise in fuel prices amid the war in the Middle East and threats from the Islamic regime in the Strait of Hormuz.
The relaxation was published by the Treasury Department through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which issued a general license for Iranian shipped oil valid until April 19.
According to the official document, transactions “necessary for the sale, delivery or discharge of crude oil or derivatives of Iranian origin loaded on ships until 12:01 pm on March 20, 2026” are permitted, even if these vessels are subject to sanctions. The license also releases essential services for the operation, such as berthing, insurance, supply, repairs, registration, crew and other logistical activities related to transport.
According to the text released by the Treasury, the flexibility is limited in nature and does not allow new purchases or production of Iranian oil, only the release of barrels that were already in transit or held at sea. The document also maintains restrictions on operations involving countries or entities that remain under additional sanctions, such as North Korea and Cuba.
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Scott Bessent, stated on
“Currently, sanctioned Iranian oil is being hoarded at low prices. By temporarily releasing this volume to the world, the United States can quickly increase global supply and ease pressure on the market,” Bessent wrote. He reiterated that the flexibility is restricted to oil that was already in transport and added that Iran will have difficulty accessing the resources generated from the sale.
In the same message, the secretary stated that the decision does not represent the end of the policy of economic pressure against Tehran.
“We will continue to maintain maximum pressure on Iran’s ability to access the international financial system,” he declared.
In recent days, President Trump’s administration had already adopted other decisions to expand energy availability, including the temporary suspension of sanctions on Russian oil already shipped and changes to maritime transport rules to facilitate the movement of oil within the United States.
