US Sanctions China-Based Refinery, Port in Fresh Crackdown on Iran’s Oil Trade

China took in the bulk of Iran’s oil exports last year with the help of a sanctions-evading network.
US Sanctions China-Based Refinery, Port in Fresh Crackdown on Iran’s Oil Trade
A gas flare on an oil production platform alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, on July 25, 2005. Raheb Homavandi/Reuters
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
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0:00

The United States has imposed a new round of sanctions on dozens of individuals, companies, and ships tied to Iran’s energy trade, escalating efforts to choke off one of Tehran’s most critical sources of revenue.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Oct. 9 that it had designated more than 50 targets, mostly based in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and China. Officials accused them of facilitating the shipment of Iranian crude oil and sales of liquefied petroleum gas in defiance of U.S. sanctions.