@robertshermantv: (SEPTEMBER 24): Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Washington today for a state visit — his first trip to the US capital in a decade — with talks focused on trade, AI, and the war in Iran. Trump greeted Xi personally at Joint Base Andrews, a rare protocol gesture, ahead of their main meeting at the White House. The elephant in the room: China has quietly remained the one major lifeline keeping Iran’s oil economy afloat. Chinese imports of Iranian crude have dropped sharply since the US naval blockade began — from over 1.7 million barrels a day in March to roughly 534,000 by August — but they haven’t stopped. Analysts say China is skirting the blockade using so-called “teapot refineries” off Shandong province, which buy discounted Iranian crude through ship-to-ship transfers designed to obscure its origin. China still purchases an estimated 80-90% of Iran’s total crude exports, according to Kpler data.

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Thursday 24 September 2026 20:32:36 GMT