Inside Details of China’s Oil Buys from Iran

Chinese President Xi Jinping with Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi during the latter's visit to Beijing in February. Image: Iranian Presidency / AFP

Iran’s oil output has jumped by 80% to about 1 million barrels per day since President Ebrahim Raisi took power in 2021. China is one of the Islamic Republic’s largest oil buyers, despite formidable sanctions from the U.S. and other countries.

Now an interview with Tehran’s former envoy to Beijing shed light on how this actually works. Mohammad-Hossein Malaek, who represented Iran in Beijing for four years under the administration of former President Mohammad Khatami, told the Iranian Labor News Agency that China’s oil buys have never ceased, despite the sanctions:

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by Cobus van Staden

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