US imposes sanctions on a Chinese refinery accused of buying Iranian oil

WASHINGTON – The Treasury Department imposed sanctions Wednesday connected a Chinese refinery accused of purchasing much than $1 cardinal worthy of Iranian oil, saying the proceeds assistance concern some Tehran's authorities and Iran's enactment for militant groups.

The sanctioned refinery successful China's Shandong state received dozens of shipments of crude lipid from Iran worthy much than $1 billion, the Trump medication said. Some of the petroleum came from a beforehand institution for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, U.S. authorities said.

Officials besides announced that respective companies and vessels progressive successful the shipments were added to the sanctions list.

The caller penalties were imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and travel earlier efforts by the medication to disrupt the travel of Iranian oil, which authorities accidental is carried by Iran's “shadow fleet." The United States has already penalized dozens of individuals and vessels progressive successful the shipments.

“Any refinery, company, oregon broker that chooses to acquisition Iranian lipid oregon facilitate Iran’s lipid commercialized places itself astatine superior risk,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said successful a news release. "The United States is committed to disrupting each actors providing enactment to Iran’s lipid proviso chain, which the authorities uses to enactment its violent proxies and partners.”

Iran is accused of backing militant groups including Yemen's Houthis, who person launched attacks connected planetary shipping, Hezbollah successful Lebanon and Hamas successful Gaza.

During his confirmation proceeding earlier this year, Bessent criticized the Biden administration’s sanctions policies and called for the U.S. to person a much “muscular” sanctions system, including connected Iran and Russian entities and oil.

Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman, said successful a statement Wednesday that Trump “is committed to thrust Iran's illicit lipid exports, including to China, to zero.”

“As Long arsenic Iran attempts to make lipid revenues to money its destabilizing activities, the United States volition clasp some Iran and each its partners successful sanctions evasion accountable,” Bruce said.

The caller sanctions were announced the aforesaid time that Iran confirmed that the next circular of talks with the U.S. connected Tehran's atomic programme volition beryllium held successful Rome.

Messages seeking responses from representatives of the Chinese and Iranian governments were not instantly returned Wednesday.

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