The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will impose new sanctions on nearly 100 individuals, entities, and vessels involved in the trade of Iranian oil and petrochemicals. Washington described the move as an attempt to cripple Iranian revenues believed to fund Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions included independent Chinese companies, among them “Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group,” a refinery in Shandong province accused by Washington of purchasing millions of barrels of Iranian oil since 2023.

The Treasury also sanctioned “Richau Shihua Crude Oil Terminal,” which operates a terminal at China’s Lanchang port. It said the terminal received oil shipments from more than 10 tankers linked to the so-called Iranian “shadow fleet,” a network of ships that avoid satellite tracking and regularly change names to smuggle Iranian oil.

The sanctions targeted several tankers, notably “Kongjm,” “Big Mag,” and “Foy,” which are said to have transported several million barrels of Iranian oil to Chinese facilities.

Disrupting Iran’s Energy Export Machine

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an official statement that “the Treasury Department is working to weaken Iran’s cash flow by dismantling key elements of the energy export machine that Tehran relies on to fund its destabilizing activities.”

He added that these measures are part of the fourth round of sanctions targeting Chinese refineries and facilities involved in receiving Iranian oil, noting the inclusion of “Jiangyin Foreversun Chemical Logistics” on the sanctions list, the first Chinese terminal listed due to receiving petrochemical products of Iranian origin.

The United States justifies these actions by stating that Iranian energy revenues are used to finance nuclear and missile programs, while Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed at generating energy for civilian purposes.

No official responses have yet been issued by the Chinese Embassy in Washington or the Iranian mission to the United Nations.