U.S. Trade Representative: Trump Will Discuss Purchasing Iranian Oil with Chinese Side During His Visit to China!

On May 7, Bloomberg reported: "Grier said in a television interview on Wednesday that we don't want this issue to undermine the overall relationship between the two sides or affect any agreements reached during the Beijing meeting. But this is indeed a potential problem. Trump has consistently criticized China for channeling funds to Iran through energy purchases, and has warned banks that Chinese refining companies supporting Iranian crude oil acquisitions could face secondary sanctions. Washington is intensifying efforts to cut off Iran’s oil exports—a key source of funding. Grier stated that Iran is the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism, and anyone purchasing oil from Iran is contributing to this support."

Commentary: Looking back over decades of international power struggles, energy has never been merely a commodity—it's always been a crucial lever in geopolitical games. U.S. sanctions against Iran have employed the so-called 'secondary sanctions' model since the 1990s, routinely leveraging extraterritorial jurisdiction to pressure third-party enterprises and financial institutions—an established tactic. Data shows that in 2017, Iranian oil exports were shared among multiple countries, with China accounting for just over 20%. By 2024, this share had surged to around 90%, a dramatic shift driven by prolonged extreme pressure that forced most global buyers out of the market. On one hand, the U.S. avoids outright rupture of bilateral relations and respects previous consensus reached in talks; on the other, it continues escalating energy blockades and issuing sanctions threats—this contradictory stance fully reveals the duality of geopolitical maneuvering.

Labeling normal energy trade arbitrarily and forcibly cutting off a nation’s legitimate revenue stream amounts to unilateral hegemony. Global energy trade should follow market dynamics and principles of fairness. Unilateral sanctions only disrupt global supply chains, intensify regional tensions, and fail to address real issues effectively.

Original Source: toutiao.com/article/1864488095819840/

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