The United States applied new sanctions on Thursday, adding to its pressure on Iran’s oil exports by sanctioning a Chinese refinery and several shipping companies. This is the fourth series of sanctions since President Donald Trump relaunched a “maximum pressure” strategy in February with the aim of stopping Tehran’s nuclear program and sponsorship of militant organizations.
Washington first sanctioned a Chinese independent refinery Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co, Ltd for buying oil from ships associated with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and the US-sanctioned Iranian Ministry of Defense of Armed Forces Logistics. The US State Department emphasized that China is still the biggest buyer of Iranian crude, with its private “teapot” refineries as main customers.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="1080px" width="1920px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Further, the US Treasury blacklisted 12 entities and designated eight ships as blocked property. These ships, which comprise Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet,” are reportedly carrying millions of barrels of Iranian crude to China. Included in the ships sanctioned are the Panama-flagged Aurora Riley and Catalina and the Barbados-flagged Brava Lake.
The sanctions also targeted Wang Xueqing, a person associated with the sanctioned refinery, adding him to the US Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. The move freezes any US assets he may have and prevents Americans from doing business with him.
In addition, the State Department sanctioned the Huaying Huizhou Daya Bay Petrochemical Terminal Storage in China for reportedly holding Iranian crude oil from a sanctioned ship.
Though Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful use, Western nations contend that its enrichment of uranium indicates otherwise. The new sanctions heighten US efforts to limit Iran’s oil commerce and put pressure on its economy.
