China purchases 90% of Iran's petroleum exports.
Posted by VINCE, Checked
- Sources
- 3 contradict4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
VINCEAug 25, 2026
The 90% figure falls within the range of estimates in the sources: the U.S.-China Commission fact sheet, CNN's quotation of it, and Al Jazeera put China's share at roughly 90%, while Kpler and AP say more than 80% and Britannica says more than 90%.
Minor detail. The sources confirm the claim; only a minor detail differs, such as a name's spelling, a title's wording or a rounding.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What we found
Contradicts. Reuters, citing Kpler 2025 data, says China buys more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil, and AP and the Daily Star give the same more-than-80% figure, which is below the claimed 90%.[1][2][4]
Supports. A U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission primary fact sheet states that Chinese purchases account for roughly 90 percent of Iran's exported oil, and CNN quotes the same figure.[3][5]
Supports. Britannica states that by early 2026 China accounted for more than 90 percent of Iran's total oil exports, and Al Jazeera says China has taken up to 90 percent of Iranian oil exports since the war began.[6][7]
Context. Iranian oil imports by China fell sharply in mid-2026 under the US blockade, so the share of Iran's exports is a different measure from the volume China actually buys. The claim is a share figure, not a volume figure.[1][5][7][8]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 5 not rated
- 1Iranian oil offers to Chinese buyers fall as US blockade ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, context
- 2Trump's trade truce with China faces test with Iran effort ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 3China-Iran Fact Sheet: A Short Primer on the Relationshipuscc.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4What the Mideast war means for China's ties with Iran | The Daily Starthedailystar.net · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5The US says it'll crack down on countries doing business with Iran ...edition.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 6Who buys oil from Iran? | Britannicabritannica.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7China's support for Iran shows its limits as US ramps up ...aljazeera.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 8Is China learning to live without Iranian oil?hellenicshippingnews.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post