All tagged Bank of Kunlun
The contents of an email shared with Bourse & Bazaar by an official at Iran’s communications ministry suggest that China’s Bank of Kunlun is weighing whether to cease processing Iran-related payments. There is growing concern in Tehran that China may be planning to downgrade its trade relationship with Iran.
◢ On the same day that Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif traveled to Beijing for talks on "regional and international issues,” the Chinese oil tanker PACIFIC BRAVO began to head east, having loaded approximately 2 million barrels of Iranian oil from the Soroosh and Kharg terminals in the Persian Gulf over the past few days, according to analysis provided by TankerTrackers.com.
◢ Bank of Kunlun, the state-owned bank at the heart of China’s trade with Iran, has made a dramatic change in its policies, informing clients that it will no longer process payments that contravene US secondary sanctions on Iran. Kunlun’s change in policy cuts a longstanding financial lifeline for Iran’s automotive, shipping, petrochemical, and steel industries.
◢ China has halted its financial transactions with Iran as part of an unexpected gamble on the future of its trading relationship with the Islamic Republic. According to Majid Reza Hariri, deputy president of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, China is hoping to sustain its trade with Iran without putting its financial system in the crosshairs of US authorities by joining the special purpose vehicle being devised by Europe for this purpose.