ארה"ב מטילה סנקציות על בתי זיקוק סיניים שרוכשים נפט מאיראן

Washington has officially sanctioned Hengle Petrochemical, one of China's largest refineries. It has a processing capacity of roughly 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. According to the official announcement, since at least 2023, Hengle has received over 5 million barrels of Iranian oil through a network of so-called shadow fleet vessels. These are ships already under U.S. sanctions, and about 40 shipping companies and vessels tied to Iran's shadow fleet are also targeted. It's part of Washington's ongoing efforts to choke off Tehran's oil revenue. Last year, the U.S. Treasury also sanctioned Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group and several port operators in China's Shandong province for similar dealings. On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said the U.S. will continue to constrict the network of vessels, intermediaries and buyers Iran relies on to move its oil to global markets. Earlier this month, his department warned financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the UAE and Oman. It said secondary sanctions could follow for doing business with Iran.