Two sanctioned supertankers laden with Iranian crude oil have anchored near Indian ports, potentially marking the first delivery of Iranian oil to India in nearly seven years. This development comes as the United States intensifies efforts to curb exports from Tehran.

Due to U.S. sanctions, India has not received any Iranian crude since 2019. However, an exemption granted last month permitted the purchase of crude that was already in transit by sea, aiming to mitigate the impact of the Middle East conflict on global supplies. India, the world's third-largest crude importer, subsequently stated it would buy crude from Iran and other nations to address the energy crisis.

Ship-tracking data indicates that the tanker Felicity anchored near Sikka, on India's west coast, late on Sunday. According to the Equasis database, this Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) is owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company and is carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian crude, loaded in mid-March from the Kharg Island oil export terminal.

In late March, the U.S. temporarily allowed the sale of Iranian oil and petroleum products that had already been loaded onto tankers. Under this exemption, state-owned refiner Indian Oil Corporation has purchased a shipment of Iranian oil, a transaction reported by Bloomberg last week, though the specific vessel name was not disclosed.

The buyers for these two cargoes remain unknown.