China sharply criticized the United States on Friday for imposing sanctions on Chinese entities involved in the trade of Iranian oil, pledging to defend its economic interests against what Beijing describes as unlawful interference.
The U.S. State Department had announced sanctions a day earlier targeting a crude oil storage terminal in China’s Huizhou port. According to U.S. officials, the facility received and stored around one million barrels of Iranian crude oil in late January 2025, delivered by a sanctioned tanker previously known as Spirit of Casper and Nichola.
“China is always opposed to the abuse of illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. “The U.S. should stop interfering in and undermining normal trade cooperation between China and Iran.”
Washington accused Chinese terminals of playing a critical role in helping Iran maintain energy exports and revenue streams amid intensified sanctions. These measures are part of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at curbing Iranian oil exports to zero, thereby pressuring Tehran into negotiating over its nuclear program.
In response, Beijing warned it would strongly defend the legitimate rights of its companies. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” Mao stated.
The diplomatic friction comes amid growing collaboration between China, Iran, and Russia, which recently held high-level talks in Beijing. The three countries have shown increased alignment amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized the importance of peaceful dialogue, cautioning against escalating the conflict further. “Now the situation has reached a critical juncture again,” Wang said. “We must buy time for peace, resolve disputes through political and diplomatic means, and oppose the use of force and illegal sanctions.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated after the meeting that any future nuclear negotiations must remain exclusively focused on nuclear issues. “We made our position clear, and China and Russia have always maintained that non-nuclear issues won’t be part of the nuclear talks,” Gharibabadi said.
In an earlier joint statement, China, Iran, and Russia emphasized addressing the root causes of the nuclear standoff. They condemned unilateral sanctions as unlawful and affirmed Iran’s right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy programs.
