Above photo: Zhao Qirui/China Daily.
Ahead of the second round of nuclear talks.
Iranian oil exports have surged recently despite President Trump’s vow to reduce them to ‘zero’.
The US imposed new sanctions on a Chinese refinery on 17 April, accusing it of purchasing more than $1 billion worth of Iranian oil, allegedly funding Tehran’s government and its regional allies. The move comes as Iran’s oil exports hit record highs, and nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran are set to continue in Rome this weekend.
The Treasury Department announced on Thursday the sanctions against a refinery in Shandong province, which it says received dozens of shipments of Iranian crude, including from companies affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The US also blacklisted several vessels and companies tied to the shipments.
“Any refinery, company, or broker that chooses to purchase Iranian oil or facilitate Iran’s oil trade places itself at serious risk,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He emphasized that proceeds from these transactions enable Iran to support its so-called “terrorist proxies,” such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen’s Ansarallah.
Iran has helped all three resistance movements oppose US and Israeli hegemony in West Asia, occupation in Palestine and Lebanon, and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson, reinforced that US President Donald Trump is committed to eliminating Iran’s oil revenues, stating the administration’s goal is to “drive Iran’s illicit oil exports, including to China, to zero.”
China criticized the US sanctions, with its embassy in Washington warning they “undermine international trade order” and infringe on the rights of Chinese companies.
Despite US pressure, China’s imports of Iranian oil have surged recently. According to shipping data, Chinese refineries imported between 1.7 and 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in March 2025 – a historic high – with much of the crude disguised as Malaysian oil and shipped via transshipment points near Singapore. Iranian oil now accounts for 16 percent of China’s seaborne crude imports.
In the midst of rising tensions, Iran confirmed a second round of nuclear negotiations with the US will be held in Rome on Saturday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks would proceed despite “unhelpful” US rhetoric calling for full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program.
“We will participate in the negotiations calmly and coolly without being influenced by any faction,” Araghchi said. He added that Iran’s nuclear enrichment for peaceful energy was “real and genuine, and we are ready to build trust regarding potential concerns, but the issue of enrichment is non-negotiable.”