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China skirts U.S. sanctions as top buyer of Iranian oil — here’s how, and why that’s unlikely to change soon

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Summary
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85% Informative

China is still the largest consumer of Iranian crude by far.

Nearly 90% of Iran 's crude oil and condensate exports continued to flow to China .

China 's independent refineries, known as "teapots," have in recent years been the major buyers of cheap Iranian crude.

Iran has faced some of the broadest sanctions the U.S. has imposed on any country.

U.S. President Donald Trump surprised markets with a post on Truth Social that China can continue to purchase Iranian oil.

China 's crude imports from Malaysia increased significantly last year to 1.4 million barrels per day from 1.1 million barrels a day in 2023 .

A senior White House official later clarified that Trump 's comments do not indicate a relaxation of sanctions.

VR Score

88

Informative language

89

Neutral language

49

Article tone

formal

Language

English

Language complexity

59

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

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