China continues to import Iranian oil using 'dark fleet' – CBS

The report reveals how Iranian oil is transferred to ships bound for China through covert ship-to-ship transfers in international waters near Malaysia’s Riau archipelago, often with transponders turned off and identifying details concealed.

During a single day in the area, CBS recorded 12 such transfers—an unprecedented number that analysts say signals an expansion of the trade. China is believed to purchase up to 90% of Iran’s crude exports.

The report comes a day after the US Treasury announced sweeping new sanctions on what it described as a “shipping empire” allegedly controlled by Hossein Shamkhani, son of a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader.

The action, the largest of its kind since 2018, targeted more than 50 individuals and entities and identified 50 vessels.

CBS quoted former US Navy officer Charlie Brown, now an adviser to United Against Nuclear Iran, as saying the location near the Riau archipelago is the dark fleet’s “parking central.”

“As long as there’s a supply, there will be a demand for this discounted oil,” Brown said. “And both sides are willing to take the risk.”

Despite multiple rounds of US sanctions, smaller Chinese refineries—known as “teapots”—continue to buy Iranian crude.

Meanwhile, European powers are weighing whether to trigger the snapback of UN sanctions on Iran, which had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

It remains unclear how such a move would affect China’s energy trade with Iran or broader sanctions enforcement.