US imposes sanctions on network sending Iranian oil to China

The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a shipping network it says has sent millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China, the State Department said, days after Iran and US negotiators concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman.

The sale of the oil helped fund Iranian weapons and attacks by the Houthi group on shipping in the Red Sea, the US Navy and Israel, it said.

The network facilitated the shipment of oil worth billions of dollars to China on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy, it said.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, however, said that the recent US sanctions on Iran are not constructive when it comes to negotiations,