Further US Designations Targeting Iranian oil

On 20 March 2025, in continuation of its “maximum pressure” policy towards Iran, the US imposed sanctions against 12 entities, 8 vessels and 1 person for facilitating the shipping of Iranian oil to China. According to OFAC’s press release, the sanctions are the first to target a “teapot refinery” - Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd. Also designated at the CEO of the refinery, Wang Xueqing, and 11 other entities involved with Iran oil shipments. 

According to the press release, “teapot refinery” is a term used to describe small independent refineries. In China, they operate on a much smaller scale than China’s state-owned refineries, using alternative financial systems (such as cryptocurrency and barter trades), to avoid using traditional banks and associated payment/sanctions risks.

Details of the 8 designated vessels:

NATALINA 7 (IMO: 9310147)

CATALINA 7 (IMO: 9310159), 

AURORA RILEY (IMO: 9181649)

VIOLA (IMO: 9254915)

MONTROSE (IMO: 9281695)

VOLANS (IMO: 9422988)

BRAVA LAKE (IMO: 9232876)

TITAN (IMO: 9293741).