The Trump administration has imposed fresh sanctions targeting Iranian oil trading networks, including a crude oil storage terminal in China linked to an independent refinery, just days ahead of planned talks between the U.S. and Iran.
The sanctions specifically targeted Guangsha Zhoushan Energy Group Co Ltd, which operates a crude oil and petroleum products terminal located on Huangzeshan Island in Zhejiang Province, China. The U.S. State Department stated that the terminal knowingly engaged with oil from Iran and is connected to an independent refinery via the Huangzeshan-Yushan Under Sea Oil Pipeline.
The State Department emphasized that the terminal, though not a major player in Iranian oil, had acquired Iranian crude at least nine times between 2021 and 2025, including shipments from U.S. sanctioned vessels. The terminal has imported approximately 13 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, according to the department.
Although tanker tracking companies Vortexa and Kpler, along with trade sources, reported that the refinery has refrained from buying Iranian oil recently, the U.S. maintains that the refinery and its associated terminal play a significant role in the trade and processing of Iranian crude.
The U.S. sanctions package also included designations against UAE-based shipping magnate Jugwinder Singh Brar and several associated entities involved in high-risk ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil in the Gulf region. The sanctions block the U.S. assets of the designated individuals and entities, preventing Americans from engaging in business with them.
China's response to U.S. sanctions has been consistently critical. In response to a similar sanction last month on a Chinese refinery, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington reiterated Beijing's opposition to "illegal and unjustifiable unilateral sanctions."
The latest sanctions follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of a "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at driving Iran’s oil exports to zero, a key component of his strategy to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is intended for peaceful, civilian purposes.
While these sanctions will likely have an impact on the entities directly involved, sanctions expert Jeremy Paner pointed out that targeting Chinese banks or insurance groups would be more effective in pressuring Iran's oil trade. However, the U.S. appears to be maintaining a broader strategy to disrupt Iran's oil exports while keeping diplomatic channels open ahead of negotiations.
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The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
The United States has ordered non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave several Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Jordan.
The United States and Israel have carried out large-scale strikes on Iranian leadership and military targets, with Iranian state media confirming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following recent military strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on targets in Iran, as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
China expressed serious concern over the escalating conflict in Iran, confirming that one Chinese national was killed in Tehran. Beijing called for an immediate halt to military operations and a return to diplomatic talks, while other Asian countries have also voiced their positions on the crisis.
Strikes across the Middle East are intensifying, fuelling travel disruption, driving up global energy prices and forcing diplomatic missions to shut their doors.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
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