The U.S. Department of State has imposed sanctions on two Chinese entities, including an oil refinery and a vessel, for their involvement in purchasing and storing Iranian crude oil from sanctioned vessels. The Department of the Treasury has also designated eight vessels as blocked property and imposed sanctions on 12 entities and one individual, targeting Iran’s “shadow fleet” of tankers that supply teapot refineries.
According to the U.S. government, China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, which the Iranian regime uses to finance attacks on U.S. allies, support terrorism, and pursue other destabilizing actions. The sanctions are part of President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign to drive Iran’s oil exports to zero.
The Department of State has taken action pursuant to Executive Order 13846, which authorizes and reimposes certain sanctions with respect to Iran. The Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13902, targeting Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors.
This is the fourth round of sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales since President Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 on February 4, 2025. The U.S. government has expressed its commitment to holding both Iran and its sanctions-evading partners accountable as long as Iran attempts to generate oil revenues to fund its destabilizing activities.
The designated entities include:
Huaying Huizhou Daya Bay Petrochemical Terminal Storage
Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
12 other entities and one individual
The blocked vessels are part of Iran’s “shadow fleet” of tankers that supply teapot refineries. The U.S. government views these sanctions as a significant step in its efforts to disrupt Iran’s oil sales and limit the regime’s ability to fund its destabilizing activities.
For more information on today’s actions, please visit the Department of State’s fact sheet and the Department of the Treasury’s press release.