Trump Has Authorized China To Buy Iran's Under-sanctioned Oil

• 25.06.2025, 11:48

After the truce was declared.

U.S. President Donald Trump said China can continue to buy Iranian oil after a truce was announced between Israel and Iran.

This was reported by Reuters.

"China can now continue to buy oil from Iran. Hopefully they will buy just as much from the US," Trump wrote on the social media network Truth Social, days after he ordered the bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities.

A senior White House official explained in comments to Reuters that Trump drew attention to the fact that Iran had not yet tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which most of the world's oil supply passes. Closing the strait would deal a blow to China, the main buyer of Iranian oil.

"The president continues to urge China and other countries to buy our high-tech oil instead of Iranian oil, the purchase of which violates U.S. sanctions," the official emphasized.

After the truce was announced, Trump's words were another pressure factor on oil prices - they fell nearly 6 percent on Tuesday.

Although such rhetoric could signal a change in US policy, the White House has not yet eased sanctions. In February, Trump pledged to resume a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran to reduce its oil exports to zero because of its nuclear program and support for armed groups in the Middle East.

The Trump administration previously imposed sanctions on several independent Chinese refineries and port operators that bought oil from Iran.

"Trump's green light for China to continue buying Iranian oil looks like a return to a soft policy on sanctions enforcement," commented Scott Modell, a former CIA officer and now head of energy consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group.

He added that Trump will probably not lift sanctions before the next round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran. The sanctions give Washington leverage over Tehran, which demands their full lifting as part of any new deal.