Beijing Confronts US Sanctions on Refineries
Oil, Iran and the Escalating Geopolitics of Energy Power
| By M. K. Bhadrakumar Global Research, May 05, 2026 Indian Punchline 4 May 2026 Within six days of the Russian President Vladimir Putin rendering a forceful advice to the US President Donald Trump to abandon the path of war in Iran — in particular, any wild plans of a ground invasion — Beijing has appeared on the scene with a humiliating rebuff to the US move to sanction Chinese oil refineries. What distinguishes Beijing’s move is that its mandatory order to refineries all over the country to defy / ignore the US sanctions on sourcing Iranian oil links the situation surrounding Iran to the geopolitics of oil and rejects Trump’s sham pretensions that this is all about the US’ nuclear non-proliferation concerns. (See my blog Ceasefire served US’ purpose in Iran war, Indian Punchline, May 3, 2026) Beijing made its first major move on the Iran situation after watching and carefully studying the ramifications of the US-Israeli stop-and-go aggression against Iran since end-February aimed at destroying that country’s capacity to defend itself and force it to capitulate for geopolitical reasons enabling the US to gain control over its vast mineral resources, especially oil and gas. |
