GreenergyDaily

Jul. 14, 2025

China’s purchases of Iranian crude rose in June to the highest since March’s record levels, in part because of speedier loadings as sellers sought to avoid getting tangled in the country’s conflict with Israel, according to data from Vortexa Ltd.

Imports rose sharply to over 1.7 million barrels a day last month, compared with 1.1 million in May, the analytics firm said in a note. A surge in early June — just prior to Israel’s strike on Iran — pushed loadings to 2.5 million barrels a day in the first 12 days of the month.

“What June data reveals is a faster and more flexible workaround to secure feedstock in the face of perceived supply disruptions,” said Emma Li, a senior market analyst at Vortexa. “Ongoing US tanker sanctions are unlikely to halt Iranian oil flows.”

The trend, however, isn’t expected to hold up into July, Li said, with crude-processing rates at major Chinese independent refineries under pressure. Average run rates at the so-called teapots, vital buyers of sanctioned oil, are currently around 46%, according to data from Mysteel Oilchem.