WANA (Nov 26) – China has once again set a new record for imports of Iranian crude—defying recent Western media narratives that U.S. sanctions imposed in October had effectively halted Iran’s oil exports. New data from the tanker-tracking& firm Kpler shows that Beijing received over 57 million tons of oil of Iranian origin, or suspected Iranian origin, in the first ten months of this year. More than 51 million tons of that volume was transferred through ship-to-ship (STS) operations.

 

Seven months after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright declared that Washington could “stop Iran’s oil exports,” the United States introduced even tougher sanctions in mid-October targeting individuals, companies, vessels, and refineries linked to Iran. Yet China’s import volumes have not only failed to decline—they have been rerouted through new channels.

 

In mid-November, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) wrote that Iran’s October exports—exceeding two million barrels per day, the highest level in 2025—demonstrate the failure of Washington’s efforts to cut off Tehran’s financial lifeline. According to the think tank, “Iran is moving freely in the tanker war.”

Presidents of Iran and China. Social media / WANA News Agency

Presidents of Iran and China. Social media / WANA News Agency

Around the same time, China’s unusually large imports from Indonesia attracted the attention of energy-market analysts. Chinese customs data shows that crude imports from Indonesia soared from less than 100,000 tons in 2024 to 9.81 million tons by the end of October this year—equivalent to roughly 235,570 barrels per day. Yet Indonesia’s own customs statistics record only 1.7 million tons of crude exports from January to September, of which just 25,000 tons went to China.

 

According to traders, China is now using Indonesia as a new gateway for receiving oil that in fact enters through ship-to-ship transfers off the Malaysian coast before being re-documented under a new origin. For years, Iranian oil entered China as “Malaysian oil,” but tighter monitoring by Malaysian authorities has pushed traders toward Indonesia as an alternative point of origin.

 

One trader noted: “Some banks no longer accept documents listing Malaysia as the origin. That has forced the official origin on the paperwork to shift to Indonesia.”

 

Pankaj Srivastava, a senior vice president for oil markets at Rystad Energy, explained: “Given recent U.S.–Indonesia energy cooperation and plans to build 17 modular refineries in Indonesia, regulatory pressure there may be lighter than in Malaysia. But if scrutiny increases, the declared origin will simply shift again.”

Iran's oil export. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Iran’s oil export. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Chinese customs data also shows a sharp decline in crude imports from Malaysia—from a peak of 8.5 million tons in March to roughly half that volume since July. Nevertheless, maritime routes remain central to the movement of large volumes of crude into China. Traders emphasize that even when Indonesia is listed as the official source, the physical transfers still take place near Malaysian waters.

 

Kpler’s analysis confirms that China’s average daily imports of oil of Iranian or suspected Iranian origin reached 1.37 million barrels per day in the first ten months of the year. These figures—combined with the wide statistical gap between China’s reported imports and Indonesia’s reported exports—clearly indicate that covert Iranian oil routes remain fully operational, and claims that Iran’s exports have stopped simply do not align with market realities.

 

This trend reinforces FDD’s argument that “Iran’s sanctioned tankers are moving freely,” underlining the serious challenges Washington faces in trying to restrict Tehran’s energy exports.