China orders firms to ignore US Iran sanctions, daring US to enforce crackdown
China has ordered companies to disregard U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil, forcing a direct test of Washington’s ability to enforce its crackdown on Iran. A new directive, issued through China’s...
By Fox News · Fox News
China has ordered companies to disregard U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian oil, forcing a direct test of Washington’s ability to enforce its crackdown on Iran. A new directive, issued through China’s Commerce Ministry Sunday, invokes a 2021 "blocking statute" that prohibits firms from complying with foreign sanctions deemed illegitimate. The order applies to several Chinese refiners accused by the United States of purchasing Iranian crude, including major independent processors known as "teapot" refineries. The move represents a shift from years of opaque workarounds to more explicit state-backed resistance, as Beijing signals it will not cooperate with U.S. efforts to cut off a key source of revenue for Iran. US TARGETS CHINA REFINERY IN SWEEPING IRAN OIL CRACKDOWN, SANCTIONS ‘SHADOW FLEET’ TANKERS "This is unprecedented. It’s a major escalation in terms of China’s response to U.S. economic statecraft. It is a measure of defiance by Beijing," said Max Meizlish, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The escalation comes as the Trump administration intensifies its sanctions campaign , targeting Chinese refiners and warning financial institutions they could face penalties for facilitating oil transactions between Iran and China. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused Beijing of effectively financing Iran’s military activity through its oil purchases, arguing that Chinese demand is sustaining Tehran’s economy. "China, let’s see them step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait," Bessent said in a Fox News interview Monday. "Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism … China has been buying 90 percent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism," he added. China remains the primary destination for Iranian crude, with much of the country’s sanctioned oil exports flowing to Chinese refiners despite mounting U.S. pressure. "It’s putting firms in China in the position where th…