The Chinese teapots, the independent refiners in the Shandong province, have been relying on Iranian crude supply for years.<\/p>\n
The Iranian crude stored on tankers, which, by the way, is now officially unsanctioned by the United States, will allow China\u2019s independent refiners to wait out weeks of blockade(s).<\/p>\n The tankers with Iranian oil that have already safely exited the Middle East region could provide supply for China\u2019s independent refiners for two and a half months, Vortexa\u2019s China market analyst, Emma Li, told Bloomberg.<\/p>\n Moreover, various reports have it that China continues to use the lane to receive oil.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n A Chinese-owned tanker under U.S. sanctions has passed<\/a> the Strait of Hormuz despite the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports that began on Monday.<\/p>\n Citing data from Kpler and MarineTraffic, Reuters\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0that the vessel had traversed the chokepoint early on Tuesday. Owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co Ltd., the vessel, Rich Starry, became a target for U.S. sanctions because it was used to transport Iranian crude.<\/p>\n China signaled on Monday that its ships are moving in and out of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have trade and energy agreements with Iran. We will respect and honor them and expect others not to meddle in our affairs,\u201d Newsweek quoted<\/a> China\u2019s Defense Minister, Admiral Dong Jun, as saying in a statement on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cIran controls the Strait of Hormuz, and it is open for us,\u201d the official noted.<\/p>\n By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/book.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n