Iran bolsters ties with China and Venezuela despite US sanctions
Iranian oil exports to China are on the rise, and the Islamic Republic’s relations with Venezuela are moving beyond energy matters, as the South American country recently received 1,000 vehicles from the Iranian automobile firm Saipa.
Iran is strengthening its relations with China and Venezuela in defiance of US sanctions. A senior Biden administration official said on Monday that Washington intend to press Beijing on the issue.
Bloomberg reported last week that Iran’s oil exports to China reached 1.3 million barrels a day in November. This was close to a four-year high, according to the outlet.
On Monday, the Biden administration’s Iran envoy Robert Malley told Bloomberg that China is the “main destination” of “illicit” exports from Iran. He added that the administration’s efforts to dissuade China from doing business with Iran would be “intensified.”
The United States has placed numerous sanctions on Iran’s oil industry across the Trump and Biden administrations to deter countries from buying Iranian oil.
