Twenty-three tankers have gathered around Iran's Kharg Island, the biggest cluster spotted at the country's principal oil-export hub since the US Navy imposed a blockade a month ago. The concentration suggests operators are scrambling to reroute cargoes through the Persian Gulf despite interdiction efforts.

The US Navy has been seizing ships attempting to run the blockade, tightening the noose around Iran's crude exports. Yet the sight of two dozen tankers simultaneously at Kharg indicates that shipping activity hasn't ground to a halt — it has simply shifted into riskier patterns.

For traders and shipping firms, this cluster signals a contested chokepoint where Iran's export infrastructure remains operational but increasingly vulnerable to naval enforcement.