New US Sanctions on Sinopec Terminal Unlikely to Stop Flow of Iran–China Oil: Analysts

While China is looking for alternative routes, U.S. sanctions on ports, shipowners, and refiners aim to squeeze Iran’s export volumes to China, analysts said.

A model of oil pump jack stands next to a logo of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, at the company's booth at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China, Sept. 11, 2025. Maxim Shemetov /Reuters

The latest U.S. sanctions on Iranian crude oil exports have targeted a major Chinese state-owned terminal and a local refinery. Analysts say the tightened sanctions will make the import of Iranian crude oil more costly for the Chinese regime and prompt it to look for alternatives but won’t stop the regime from buying it.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Oct. 9 on about 100 individuals, entities, and ships that helped Iran’s trade in oil and petrochemical products, including China’s Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal that operates a terminal at Lanshan port in Shandong Province and a “teapot” refinery.