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US Slaps Iran-related Sanctions on Oil Tankers, China ‘Teapot' Refinery

The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo
The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo
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US Slaps Iran-related Sanctions on Oil Tankers, China ‘Teapot' Refinery

The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo
The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo

The US on Thursday issued new Iran-related sanctions, targeting entities including for the first time a Chinese "teapot", or independent refinery, and vessels that supplied crude oil to such processing plants.
It was Washington's fourth round of sanctions on Iran's oil sales since President Donald Trump said in February he was re-imposing a "maximum pressure" campaign including efforts to drive down the country's exports to zero. Trump aims to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and funding militant groups.

The refinery Treasury targeted for sanctions is China-based Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
"So-called 'teapot' refinery purchases of Iranian oil provide the primary economic lifeline for the Iranian regime, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and the primary backer of the murderous Houthis in Yemen," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the refinery bought oil from vessels linked to Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, which the US designated this month as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and the US-designated Iranian Ministry of Defense of Armed Forces Logistics.

Treasury also imposed sanctions on 12 entities, and identified eight vessels as blocked property it said were responsible for shipping millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China. These vessels are part of Iran’s “shadow fleet” of tankers that supply the private refineries.
It also placed Wang Xueqing, who it said is linked to the refinery, on the specially designated nationals, or SDN, list. Americans are prohibited from doing business with people placed on that list, and their US assets are blocked.
The vessels Treasury blocked included Panama-flagged Aurora Riley and the Catalina, and the Barbados-flagged Brava Lake.
The State Department said it was imposing sanctions on an oil terminal in China called Huaying Huizhou Daya Bay Petrochemical Terminal Storage, for buying and storing Iranian crude oil from a sanctioned vessel.

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World

Kremlin Says Putin’s Proposals on Iran Are Still on the Table

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting focused on the situation on the global energy market at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Monday, March 9, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting focused on the situation on the global energy market at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Monday, March 9, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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Kremlin Says Putin’s Proposals on Iran Are Still on the Table

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting focused on the situation on the global energy market at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Monday, March 9, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting focused on the situation on the global energy market at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Monday, March 9, 2026. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered different options to mediate and ways to reduce tensions in the Iran ‌conflict and ‌these proposals ‌are still ⁠on the table, ⁠the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Moscow is ready to provide any ⁠assistance it ‌can ‌to reduce the tensions ‌in the ‌Middle East, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He declined ‌to provide additional details on the ⁠specifics of ⁠the "considerations" on Iran that Putin raised on a call with US President Donald Trump.

World

Türkiye Says US Patriot System Deployed to Boost Air Defense amid Iran War

A Turkish soldier stands guard as army and security personnel search a field after a piece of ammunition fell following the interception of a missile launched from Iran by a NATO air defense system, in Diyarbakir, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar
A Turkish soldier stands guard as army and security personnel search a field after a piece of ammunition fell following the interception of a missile launched from Iran by a NATO air defense system, in Diyarbakir, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar
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Türkiye Says US Patriot System Deployed to Boost Air Defense amid Iran War

A Turkish soldier stands guard as army and security personnel search a field after a piece of ammunition fell following the interception of a missile launched from Iran by a NATO air defense system, in Diyarbakir, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar
A Turkish soldier stands guard as army and security personnel search a field after a piece of ammunition fell following the interception of a missile launched from Iran by a NATO air defense system, in Diyarbakir, Türkiye, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar

Türkiye said on Tuesday that a US Patriot air defense system was deployed to its southeast, near a NATO radar base, as part of steps by the alliance to boost air defenses in the face of missile threats from the Iran war.

It is being deployed to Malatya province, the location of the Kurecik NATO radar base, which provides vital data for the alliance ‌and helped ‌identify two Iranian ballistic missiles heading toward ‌ Türkiye ⁠over the last ⁠week, said Reuters.

Iran has said it is not at war with regional countries and denies explicitly targeting its neighbor Türkiye. Ankara has warned Tehran against firing any more missiles towards it and the two countries' presidents discussed the issue on Monday.

"In addition to ⁠the measures we take on a ‌national level, air and missile ‌defense measures by NATO have been increased. In that ‌framework, one Patriot System is being deployed to ‌Malatya to contribute to defending our air space," the defense ministry said.

It added that Türkiye would continue to evaluate regional developments and cooperate with NATO allies.

The deployment comes ‌amid reports that Washington is looking into redeploying its military assets, including Patriot ⁠systems, currently stationed ⁠in South Korea.

It was not immediately clear where the Patriot system or its batteries were being redeployed from.

Türkiye, an emerging leader in the global defense industry that has the alliance's second-largest army, lacks its own fully fledged air defenses despite development efforts, and has relied on NATO air defenses stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in both missile incidents in the last week.

There is currently one Patriot system, from Spain, deployed in Türkiye as part of NATO defens es.

World

Israel’s Netanyahu Warns ‘We Are Not Done Yet’ in Iran

A person holds a sign supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a gathering of Iranian community members showing support for Israel and the United States, outside the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, on March 5, 2026. (AFP)
A person holds a sign supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a gathering of Iranian community members showing support for Israel and the United States, outside the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, on March 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel’s Netanyahu Warns ‘We Are Not Done Yet’ in Iran

A person holds a sign supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a gathering of Iranian community members showing support for Israel and the United States, outside the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, on March 5, 2026. (AFP)
A person holds a sign supporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump during a gathering of Iranian community members showing support for Israel and the United States, outside the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, on March 5, 2026. (AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel's military offensive against Iran was "not done yet", saying the operation was degrading Iran's clerical leadership.

"Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones -- and we are not done yet," Netanyahu said during a visit to the National Health Command Center on Monday night, according to a statement published Tuesday.

Israel ‌is ahead of schedule in achieving its war goals in Iran, its ambassador to France said on Tuesday, adding that the operation aims to weaken Iran’s authorities to curb attacks beyond its borders and allow its people to shape their own future. 

"When we were asked at the start of this war about its duration, we said ‌it would ‌last a few weeks. ‌That ⁠hasn’t changed," Joshua Zarka told ⁠BFM TV. "We are ahead of schedule to achieve our war objectives." 

Zarka, formerly Israel’s lead diplomat on Iran, said the goals extend beyond ending Iran’s nuclear program. They include weakening the government to the point ⁠that its population can "take its fate ‌into its own ‌hands," and ensuring Tehran can no longer mount ‌attacks beyond its borders. 

Asked about the ‌appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader, Zarka said that if he follows his father Ali Khamenei's positions, he "would also be on ‌a list of those who should be eliminated." 

Israel has simultaneously launched ⁠major ⁠operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah after it struck Israeli territory. The Lebanese government has said it wants direct talks with Israel to halt the fighting, but Zarka argued that Beirut is not disarming Hezbollah. 

"At this stage, I’m not aware of any decision to enter negotiations to end this war," he said. "What would end it is the disarmament of Hezbollah — and that is a choice for the Lebanese government."