Iran's Revolutionary Guard Now Controls Half Of Tehran's Oil Exports

JAKARTA - Iran's Revolutionary Guards are strengthening their grip on the country's oil industry and controlling up to half of exports that generate most of Tehran's revenue.

All aspects of the oil business are under the influence of the Revolutionary Guard, ranging from a fleet of shadow tankers that secretly deliver sanctioned crude oil, to logistics and leading companies selling oil, mostly to China, sources told Reuters.

To what extent the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) over oil exports has never been reported before.

Although Western harsh sanctions were designed to stifle Iran's energy industry, which was reimposed by former US President Donald Trump in 2018, Iran generates oil revenue of more than 50 billion Badminton per year.

Six Western officials and security experts as well as Iranian sources and trades said the Revolutionary Guard controlled up to 50 percent of Iran's oil exports, a sharp increase of about 20 percent three years ago.

Three of these estimates are based on intelligence documents on Iranian shipping, while other estimates come from monitoring shipping activities by tankers and companies linked to the IRGC.

The increasing dominance of the IRGC in the oil industry has increased its influence in all areas of Iran's economy and has also made it difficult to implement Western sanctions considering that the Revolutionary Guard was designated a terrorist organization by Washington.

However, Trump's return to the White House in January 2025 could mean stricter sanctions against Iran's oil industry.

Iran's oil minister said Tehran was taking steps to overcome any restrictions, without providing further details.