China Reports First Iranian Oil Imports Amid US Sanctions

jpnn.com, CHINA - China reported for the first time in a year its crude oil imports from Iran despite ongoing sanctions by the United States government against the country, according to data released by Chinese customs on Thursday.

China imported 260,312 tonnes of Iranian crude in December 2021, according to data from China's General Administration of Customs.

The agency last recorded an inflow of 520,000 tonnes of Iranian oil in December 2020.

However, it remains unclear which company carried the cargo, which has the same capacity as one very large crude carrier (VLCC). In addition, it is not yet known which terminal the cargo was destined for.

Unofficially, oil imports from Iran by China averaged above 500,000 barrels per day in August-October 2021.

That's because buyers from China judge that the benefits of getting crude oil cheaply outweigh the risks of US sanctions, as reported by Reuters in November 2021.

To evade sanctions, Iranian crude has been exported to China marked as oil from Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia, traders said.

Imports from Iran have accounted for about six percent of China's total crude oil imports, according to shipping data and trader estimates. (reuters/ant/dil/jpnn)

This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: Demi Cuan, China dan Iran Terang-terangan Abaikan Sanksi Amerika