US Intensifies Pressure Campaign on Iran With New China Oil Sanctions

The United States has announced a new round of sanctions targeting individuals and companies accused of helping Iran ship oil to China, intensifying Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Tehran.

According to the US Treasury Department, the sanctions target three individuals and nine companies allegedly involved in facilitating Iranian oil exports through a network of front companies and shipping operations linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The entities sanctioned include firms based in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, which US officials say played key roles in transporting and selling Iranian crude oil to Chinese buyers.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures are aimed at cutting off financial channels used by Iran to fund military operations, regional proxy groups and its nuclear programme. “Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and destabilise the global economy,” Bessent said.

The sanctions come just days before US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where discussions are likely to include Iran, global energy security and the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Reuters reported that the latest penalties follow earlier sanctions imposed last week on companies and individuals accused of supplying Iran with components used in drones and ballistic missiles.

Washington has increasingly focused on what it calls Iran’s “shadow fleet” a network of tankers, shell companies and intermediaries allegedly used to bypass international sanctions and continue oil exports, particularly to China.

China remains the largest buyer of Iranian crude oil despite US sanctions. Beijing has repeatedly criticised Washington’s unilateral restrictions and previously signalled that Chinese companies should not comply with certain US sanctions measures.

Analysts say the new sanctions could further strain already tense US-China relations, especially as both powers remain divided over trade, Taiwan, Iran and broader geopolitical influence in the Middle East and Asia.