Tehran left in the cold as old allies cut crude imports
Recent oil sales to Asia make for troubling reading for Iran's embattled government
Iranian officials' upbeat public pronouncements on their ability to ride out the escalated US-backed sanctions regime are beginning to sound hollow. Tehran had hoped long-standing crude buyer China might withstand American pressure and continue to buy its oil-imports averaged 590,000bl/d in the May-October 2018 period, according to figures from consultancy SVB Energy International — but recent volumes are well down on this level. According to figures from leading cargo tracking firm Kpler, Iranian exports to China were just 190,000bl/d in January, compared to 409,000bl/d in December. Given that China forms one half of a sizeable Asian demand double act with India, accounting for about 80pc o
Also in this section
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
