China Is By Far the Top Buyer of Iranian Oil 🇮🇷 🛢️ 🇨🇳

What We're Showing

Iran's crude oil and condensate exports by destination in 2023.

Data comes from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

China at Risk?

In 2023, a staggering 89% of Iran’s oil exports went to China, a sharp rise from just 25% in 2017.

This surge followed renewed U.S. sanctions in 2018, which isolated Iran from most global oil buyers.

Amid rapidly escalating tensions, with the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites and Iran launching missile strikes on U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq, China’s oil supply is potentially at risk.

This is because the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for China’s oil imports, could be disrupted by further conflict or Iranian retaliation.