Central Command says its blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in oil sales and left the Guards unable to pay troops

US Central Command’s commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, said on Friday that Iran-backed militias in the region have been sending money back to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to relieve the economic pressure the Guards are under after nine months of war¹. The command said the US naval blockade has blocked $25 billion in Iranian oil exports and claims control of the Strait of Hormuz². Cooper put the same revenue figure on the record, saying the blockade had cost Iran $25 billion in oil income³.

Cooper said the financial strain on Iran’s military has become significant enough that there are reports of Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding the salaries and dues of their own members⁶. Where those groups were traditionally funded by the Guards, the US now believes the flow has reversed and they are sending money back to Tehran⁸. Every one of these figures and claims comes from the US military; none is independently verified in the reporting available here, and Iran has not confirmed them.

Why it matters to investors

Iran’s capacity to earn hard currency is what funds the shipping campaign now setting the oil risk premium. Axios reported that while the US military has been preparing for a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran, the administration continues to apply pressure through the blockade and severe sanctions, and that US officials describe the chokehold as causing serious difficulties for Iran’s security forces while making the regime frustrated and aggressive¹. The same account says the White House hopes the pressure will induce Iran to make a deal¹.

That is a two-sided proposition for markets. A cash-starved Guard corps may have less capacity to sustain operations, or more incentive to disrupt traffic in order to raise prices. More than 50,000 American service members remain deployed across the Middle East, which is the standing cost of holding the position⁵. Cooper said those forces have stood with regional partners to defend against Iranian attacks⁴.

What to watch

Whether the revenue squeeze reduces attacks on shipping or intensifies them, and whether militia groups keep diverting funds to Tehran rather than paying their own fighters⁷. Shafaq News reported that US strikes on Iranian cargo boats left five dead, an indication that the blockade is being enforced kinetically rather than only through sanctions⁷. Any sign that Iranian exports are finding buyers again would undercut the revenue claim and the price premium built on it².