Iran says oil exports to China will continue even if UN sanctions snap back

Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad told reporters in Dubai that Tehran’s exports to Beijing would be unaffected if the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal is activated on 27 September. “They will continue, we have no problem,” he said.

Paknejad argued that the return of United Nations measures would not impose “new burdensome restrictions” compared with existing U.S. sanctions, which already severely constrain Iran’s energy trade.

“In the last years, we have faced such severe restrictions from the unjust and unilateral U.S. sanctions that, in practice, [U.N. sanctions] won’t add much to this situation,” he said.

France, Britain and Germany — known as the E3 — alongside European Union Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas, met Iran’s foreign minister on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to press for compliance with nuclear safeguards.

The Europeans have accused Tehran of breaching the 2015 accord by stockpiling enriched uranium and blocking access to inspectors.

The E3 triggered the 30-day snapback process on 28 August, warning that unless Iran addresses their concerns and resumes talks with the United States, the full suite of UN sanctions will return.

China remains Iran’s key oil customer, accounting for nearly 80% of exports in 2024, according to data provider Kpler. Analysts say Chinese refiners have long been willing to buy Iranian crude at discounted prices, despite Western sanctions.

Diplomats said discussions in New York this week yielded little progress, raising the likelihood

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