Centcom chief Adm. Brad Cooper estimates the US naval blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in oil revenue; the reports give no calculation behind the figure, so it is Centcom's own estimate, not an independent count. He said militias across the region are "withholding payments for their soldiers in order to funnel money back to the IRGC, which also isn't paying its troops."
How big $25 billion is
- The blockade began April 13, was lifted June 14 and was reimposed July 14, per Reuters and Vortexa tanker tracking. That is about five months in force.
- Iran earned about $45 billion from petroleum exports in all of 2025, per OPEC, so the claimed loss is more than half a normal year's take.
- Before the blockade Iran shipped about 1.84 million barrels a day (March, Kpler data via Reuters); Vortexa says its seaborne crude exports have been zero since the second week of September.