The United States announced sanctions on Wednesday against a new independent refinery in China accused of illegally processing Iranian oil, marking the latest step in Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Tehran.
According to the State Department, the sanctions target Shandong Shengxing Chemical Co, accused of purchasing more than $1 billion worth of Iranian oil.
Washington simultaneously announced sanctions on “several” other companies and ships involved in delivering Iranian oil to China, and which it considers to be part of the Gulf country’s “ghost fleet.”
"As long as Iran attempts to generate oil revenues to fund its destabilizing activities, the United States will hold both Iran and all its partners in sanctions evasion accountable," State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
This marks the second time the US government has targeted independent refineries in China, known as “teapots,” for similar reasons. Previously, Luqing Petrochemical in Shandong province faced similar sanctions.
The decision drew strong condemnation from Beijing, which accused the Trump administration of attempting to “undermine economic cooperation and trade between Iran and China.”
On Wednesday, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned, ahead of an upcoming visit to Tehran for negotiations, that Iran is “close” to acquiring a nuclear weapon.
In recent weeks, Trump has expressed openness to negotiations with Tehran to prevent this from happening, while re-adopting his “maximum pressure” strategy, which included withdrawing from the July 2015 nuclear agreement.
