IRGC Launches 82nd Wave of Strikes Against US-Israeli Assets as Iran Claims 1.5M BPD Oil Exports Continue

The IRGC launched what it called its 82nd wave of retaliatory operations, claiming 230 Axis of Resistance operations in 24 hours—87 by Hezbollah, 23 by Iraqi Islamic Resistance, and 110 Iranian drone and missile strikes—describing it as the most extensive since the conflict began. Stated targets included US assets in al-Kharj and Arifjan (Saudi Arabia), Patriot radar systems at Sheikh Isa (Bahrain), a military command center in Israeli-occupied territory, and industrial sites linked to Israel's nuclear program near the Dead Sea. All operational claims originate from an IRGC communique via Press TV; Al Jazeera confirmed Iranian strikes continued on March 26 but did not corroborate wave numbering, target specifics, or damage assessments. Separately, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency claimed oil exports reached 1.5 million barrels per day during Ramadan. Kpler tracking data independently corroborates the ~1.5M BPD figure for loaded export volumes through the Strait of Hormuz in March, but Lloyd's List Intelligence places actual discharges at Chinese ports at ~1.25M BPD—up from 1.17M BPD in February—with the gap reflecting crude in floating storage on tankers near Chinese waters awaiting offload. For context, Iran exported 2.16M BPD in February before the war began, the highest level since July 2018, meaning current flows represent a wartime decline from peak, not simply resilience. Iran's Army warned that any ground incursion would prove more costly than air operations.