The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iranian oil trading networks including on a China-based crude oil storage terminal linked via a pipeline to an independent refinery, just days before talks between the U.S. and Iran.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Guangsha Zhoushan Energy Group Co Ltd, which operates a crude oil and petroleum products terminal on Huangzeshan Island in Zhoushan that knowingly engaged with oil from Iran and is connected through the Huangzeshan–Yushan Under Sea Oil Pipeline to an independent refinery, the U.S. State Department said.
“This terminal is directly connected to a major refinery complex in China, demonstrating the role that China-based refiners continue to play in the purchase, acquisition, and processing of Iranian crude oil,” the State Department said, without naming the refinery.
However, tanker tracking firms Vortexa and Kpler and trade sources told Reuters that the refinery has refrained from buying Iranian oil.
The State Department said the terminal had acquired Iranian crude at least nine times between 2021 and 2025, including from U.S. sanctioned vessels, and has imported at least 13 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.
