Within six days of the RussianPresident Vladimir Putinrendering a forceful advice to the USPresident Donald Trumpto abandon the path of war in Iran — in particular, any wild plans of a ground invasion — Beijing has appeared on the scene with a humiliating rebuff to the US move to sanction Chinese oil refineries.
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What distinguishes Beijing’s move is that its mandatory order to refineries all over the country to defy / ignore the US sanctions on sourcing Iranian oil links the situation surrounding Iran to the geopolitics of oil and rejects Trump’s sham pretensions that this is all about the US’ nuclear non-proliferation concerns. (See my blogCeasefire served US’ purpose in Iran war, Indian Punchline, May 3, 2026)
Beijing made its first major move on the Iran situation after watching and carefully studying the ramifications of the US-Israeli stop-and-go aggression against Iran since end-February aimed at destroying that country’s capacity to defend itself and force it to capitulate for geopolitical reasons enabling the US to gain control over its vast mineral resources, especially oil and gas.
It won’t be a surprise if Beijing sees an unmistakeable pattern here starting with the US’ capture of Venezuela’s massive oil reserves hardly three months ago. The US’ focus on Kharg Island (Iran’s oil terminals) and the blockade of Iranian ports speaks for itself.
Coincidence or not, China has been the dominant, number one buyer of Venezuelan crude for several years leading up to 2026, often accounting for a significant majority of the country’s crude exports. When it comes to Iran, China is the primary, top buyer of Iranian oil, accounting for roughly 90–91% of Iran’s total crude exports as of early 2026.
Despite US sanctions, the so-called independent “teapot” refineries in China rely on discounted oil from Iran. China has rejected the US sanctions on these purchases, citing legitimate energy cooperation under a 25-year strategic agreement. A defining moment came this month as the US sanctions against five Chinese oil refiners for buying Iranian oil came into effect — Hengli Petrochemical and four “teapot refiners” Shandong Jincheng, Hebei Xinhai, Shouguang Luqing, and Shandong Shengxing.
On Saturday, Beijing hit back with the Ministry of Commerce [MOFCOM] invoking a “prohibiting order” declaring that the US sanctions will not be recognised, enforced, or complied with by any refinery throughout China. This marks a major escalation where Beijing is using legal tools to block US sanctions, while also emphasising that Washington’s actions violate international law and threaten China’s national security.
Technically, it is up to the Trump administration to enforce its sanctions by interdicting the tankers carrying Iranian oil heading for China, but that will be a risky move fraught with the real danger of confronting Beijing, which may even draw forth an escalation on China’s part such as deployment of Chinese navy to escort tankers heading out from Iranian ports for destinations in China. However far-fetched that idea may seem, the fact remains that the stakes are high for China’s energy security.
Source: Global Research
