US and European officials on September 28 said Washington had reached out diplomatically to Beijing about cutting imports of Iranian crude oil in an attempt to persuade Tehran to resume negotiations about restarting the 2015 nuclear deal. One of the US officials said the continued purchases of Iranian oil by Chinese firms had kept the economy of the Islamic Republic afloat despite US sanctions. The person said Washington would continue enforcing sanctions, including on Iran’s oil exports to China.
Meanwhile, a European official said US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman raised this issue when she visited China in late July. According to the official, China is protecting Iran, and its continued imports of Iranian concerns sparked concerns in the West. An industry survey estimated that Iran shipped 553,000 bpd of crude to China through August.
The US and Iran began indirect talks on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in April, but negotiations had stalled after Ibrahim Raisi was elected president of Iran. Under JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment program in exchange for the easing of UN, US, and EU economic sanctions. However, the pact fell apart in 2018 when former US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by restarting nuclear activities it agreed to curb under the deal.
It remained unclear how China would respond to the US diplomatic overture on Iran. In September, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Washington was the one that sparked tensions and should redress its “wrong policy.” Washington-Beijing relationships have sunk to their worst in recent years due to issues such as trade, human rights, and the COVID-19 pandemic. China is also part of the JCPOA.
