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** Why Iran's Oil Sales Must Be Stopped ([link removed])
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by Majid Rafiadeh • October 11, 2025 at 5:00 am
* As long as the Iranian regime finds avenues to export oil, it will continue to survive and expand its power.
* At the heart of the problem is Iran's largest oil export market: China. Nearly four-fifths of Iran's exported oil ends up in China.... Iranian officials have openly admitted that even if UN sanctions are reactivated, oil exports to China would continue.
* The key is not only sanctioning Iran, but also enforcing consequences against those who enable its oil exports. That means sanctioning third-party entities, shipping companies, and refineries that knowingly violate sanctions. China, as the largest buyer of Iran's oil, must face the full weight of international scrutiny and penalties if it continues to bankroll the Iranian regime.
* Beijing can import oil from alternative sources such as Saudi Arabia, the US, Iraq and the UAE, among others. Its continued purchase of Iranian oil is a political choice, not an economic necessity.
* The United States cannot and should not act alone in this effort. The European Union needs to take a much stronger stance as well.
* Finally, the argument comes down to one undeniable fact: as Iran continues to export oil, its regime will continue to survive and expand its power.
* If the West is serious about trying to "reform" the Iranian regime, it must focus on cutting off the oil that feeds it. This means coordinated US and EU pressure, real accountability for China, and relentless enforcement of sanctions against buyers and middlemen.
* "Reforming" the Iranian regime -- enticing them into the Abraham Accords under Trump's magnificent vision of "peace and prosperity" -- may not be possible. Iran's rulers appear to have an explicit agenda, which, as by now should be clear, does not involve either prosperity or peace for its citizens. If the US is intent on making only Iran's ruling class rich and prosperous, it is consigning the Iranian people to misery in perpetuity. One hopes that the US would not be as cruel as that.
* Only if Iran is seriously weakened will the Iranian people have a real chance to taste the freedom that so many in the West cavalierly take for granted, and only then will the world see genuine peace and security in the Middle East.

As long as the Iranian regime finds avenues to export oil, it will continue to survive and expand its power. Pictured: The oil tanker Fortune, one of five Iranian-flagged tankers that brought Iranian gasoline and oil derivatives to Venezuela in May 2020, is shown docked at the El Palito refinery in Carabobo, on May 25, 2020. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

The reimposition of UN "snapback" sanctions on Iran is a welcome development, but, alas, insufficient. For years, Tehran has operated with relative impunity, ignoring restrictions and continuing to build its nuclear and ballistic missile programs while funding proxy terrorist groups across the Middle East. The renewal of these sanctions signals a recognition that the Iranian regime remains one of the gravest threats to regional stability and international security.

While the sanctions are symbolically important, however, on their own they are not nearly enough. Just putting sanctions on paper does not set back Iran; what truly weakens it is cutting off its most vital revenue stream: oil. As long as the Iranian regime finds avenues to export oil, it will continue to survive and expand its power.

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