Iran on Friday denounced the latest US sanctions targeting the shipment of Iranian crude oil to China, calling them “illegal” and “unjustified.”
“The decision of the new US government to exert pressure on the Iranian nation by preventing Iran’s legal trade with its economic partners is an illegitimate, illegal, and violative measure,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated.
The US Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday financial sanctions against an international network that allegedly facilitated the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to China. The oil was reportedly shipped on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars, a sanctioned front company.
The move marks a continuation of Washington’s pressure campaign on Tehran, a policy reinstated after US President Donald Trump revived his “maximum pressure” approach against Iran over allegations of its nuclear ambitions.
Iran has rejected these claims, asserting that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes. Tehran also warned that reviving Trump-era policies would lead to failure, just as past efforts to pressure Iran have not yielded desired results.
The sanctions come amid stalled efforts to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal that the US unilaterally withdrew from in 2018 under Trump’s first term. While Iran initially adhered to the agreement, it gradually rolled back its commitments after Washington’s exit.
Trump has recently called for a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran, emphasizing that the country “cannot have a Nuclear Weapon.” However, Iran maintains that its nuclear activities remain within peaceful limits.
