Iran was Tehran forced to rely on decommissioned tankers for storage, analysts say Satellite image of waters off Kharg Island, Iran, taken on April 18 by ESA’s Sentinel‑2 satellite (Image via Copernicus Browser, processed by Nikkei) KENJI ASADA and YUJI OHIRA NEW YORK/HOUSTON, Texas — Iranian crude oil has lost access to markets in Asia as a result of a U.S. Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving Tehran scrambling to find storage space for the oil it is still producing.