The U.S. Department of State has targeted an oil terminal in China, for buying and storing Iranian crude oil from a sanctioned vessel, alongside 12 other entities and an individual in new round of sanctions on 20 March.
The Department of the Treasury stated that is concurrently sanctioning China-based Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd., a “teapot” oil refinery, for purchasing and refining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil.
This includes oil from vessels linked to Ansarallah (Houthis), a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and the U.S.-designated Iranian Ministry of Defense of Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). “Teapot” refiners are private Chinese refineries that are the primary purchasers of Iranian oil. As stated this will be the United States’ first designation of a teapot refinery.
In addition, the Department of the Treasury is sanctioning 12 entities and one individual, and identifying eight vessels as blocked property for being responsible for shipping millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China. These vessels are part of Iran’s “shadow fleet” of tankers that supply teapot refineries, including Luqing Petrochemical.
These sanctions are being imposed pursuant to President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign to drive Iran’s oil exports, including to China, to zero.
…the U.S. Department of State commented.
