The Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday that it has authorized a network of over 20 companies alleged to have supplied Iranian oil to China.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) revealed that billions in oil have been dispatched to Beijing for Iran’s military leadership and its primary commercial partner, Sepere Energy.
“Today’s measures emphasize increased pressure on all facets of Iran’s oil trade that the administration relies on to finance dangerous activities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent stated.
“The US will keep targeting this significant revenue source as long as the administration continues to support terrorism and the distribution of lethal weapons,” Bescent added.
Sanctions have been placed on Huangdao Inspection and Certification Co. for allegedly offering oil cargo inspection services to authorized vessels transferring Iranian oil.
Additionally, CCIC Singapore PTE is implicated for providing essential testing before oil shipments to China, assisting Sepere in concealing the oil’s origin.
Qingdao Linkrich is also facing sanctions, with OFAC noting its role in facilitating the delivery of energy containers to the Zeper energy ship arriving at Qingdao port in China.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce indicated that the revenue from these oil sales supports the development of “ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), nuclear proliferation, and Iranian terrorist proxies, including operations against the US Navy and Israel.”
“The United States will persist in taking actions that align with the National Security President’s Memorandum 2, aimed at putting maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to restrict resources that enable destabilizing actions,” Bruce concluded.
