
UK airlines given green light to cancel or consolidate flights to conserve jet fuel
UK airlines can now cancel or consolidate flights this summer to conserve jet fuel amid supply disruptions.

China has blocked US sanctions against five Chinese refiners accused of purchasing oil from Iran. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated that the sanctions violate international law and will not be recognized or enforced.
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China has announced an injunction to block US sanctions placed on five Chinese refiners accused of buying oil from Iran.
The sanctions announced by the United States Department of the Treasury late last month bar the companies from the US financial system and seek to penalise anyone doing business with the firms.
In a statement on Saturday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said the sanctions “improperly” restrict business between Chinese enterprises and third countries “in violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations”.
The Commerce Ministry said it had issued a “prohibition order” stipulating that the sanctions “shall not be recognized, enforced, or complied with” to “safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests”.
“The Chinese government has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions that lack UN authorisation and basis in international law,” the ministry added.
It said the order blocked US measures against Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery and four other so-called “teapot” refineries: Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group, Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical and Shandong Shengxing Chemical.
Announcing the sanctions on April 24, the US Treasury Department called Hengli “one of Tehran’s most valued customers”, saying it had generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the Iranian military through crude oil purchases.
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on the other four refineries named by the Chinese ministry, among other facilities, last year.
China gets more than half of its oil from the Middle East, much of it from Iran.
According to commodities data firm Kpler, China bought more than 80 percent of the oil Iran shipped in 2025.
China’s “teapot” refineries operate independently and are generally smaller than the facilities run by state-owned oil giants, such as Sinopec.
The facilities, which have been crucial to China’s efforts to secure its oil supplies, capitalise on heavily discounted crude sold by countries under sanctions, such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela.
Teapots account for a quarter of Chinese refinery capacity, operate with narrow and sometimes negative margins, and have been squeezed recently by tepid domestic demand.
US sanctions have created additional hurdles for refiners, including difficulties selling refined products under their correct place-of-origin markings.
The US sanctions bar five Chinese refiners from the US financial system for allegedly buying oil from Iran.
China blocked the sanctions to protect its national sovereignty and claimed they violate international law and norms.
China's Ministry of Commerce issued a prohibition order stating that the US sanctions shall not be recognized or enforced.

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