While US sanctions currently target specific companies that facilitate exports of Iranian oil, Washington is weighing a broader move: sanctions on countries that import Iranian petrochemicals. This potential escalation could impact ethylene glycol, methanol, polyethylene, and liquefied butane and propane gases, among others, with wide-ranging implications for global trade flows. Iranian export statistics show China as the largest destination for these products. Volumes do not, however, correlate with China’s import statistics.

Official Iranian export statistics reported the following exports through March 2025 YTD, with China as the top destination for each product and much smaller volumes to other trading partners. China’s official import statistics, however, show much lower imports from “country of origin Iran” of MEG, methanol and polyethylene, and no imports at all from Iran of liquefied gases. China reports large imports from UAE and other countries.

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses, continuously updated analyses of global trade developed from statistics from all available countries.