State Department: U.S. sanctions Chinese buyer, Iranian 'shadow fleet' for oil shipments to China; administration reaffirms maximum‑pressure policy

Tammy Bruce, Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said the United States is imposing sanctions on a Chinese refinery described in the briefing as a "so called teapot refinery" for purchasing "millions of barrels of oil worth approximately half a billion dollars." She also said the department is sanctioning "several additional entities and vessels in Iran's shadow fleet for shipping millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China."

Bruce framed the moves as part of a broader administration strategy. "President Trump has reimposed a maximum pressure campaign designed to end Iran's nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop it from supporting terrorist groups," she said. "The maximum pressure campaign is designed to drive Iran's oil exports, which it uses to fund its destabilizing activities to 0."

On questions about diplomatic options with Iran, Bruce reiterated the administration's focus on sanctions and said there are "a number of things diplomatically that can be done," but declined to discuss specifics of potential negotiations. She said the president has made clear that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon." Bruce also addressed an inquiry about implementing the MASA Act, saying she would not speculate about internal diplomatic or policy deliberations.

The briefing described the sanction targets at a high level (refinery, entities and vessels) and provided approximate monetary and volume figures but did not provide legal citations for the specific designations during the session.