WASHINGTON: The Trump administration announced on Friday that it had placed sanctions on an independent “teapot” refinery in China for purchasing billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil, as Washington and Tehran prepare for another round of peace negotiations over the weekend.
The Treasury Department targeted Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, claiming it is one of Iran’s top crude oil and petroleum product consumers. The Office of Foreign Assets Control has slapped sanctions on approximately 40 maritime businesses and vessels that are part of Iran’s shadow fleet.
China has stated that it opposes “illegal” unilateral sanctions. On Friday, the Chinese embassy in Washington stated that normal trade should not be harmed and urged Washington to quit “abusing” penalties against Chinese enterprises.
“We call on the US to stop politicizing trade and science and technology issues and using them as a weapon and a tool, as well as to stop abusing various types of sanctions to target Chinese companies,” a representative for the Chinese embassy stated.
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