The China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. is expected to sell oil to Iran soon for the first time since 2004, London's Guardian newspaper reports. Chinaoil, meanwhile, sent two shipments of fuel to Iran in a direct sale.
The move comes as Iran faces pressure on its oil and gas sector. Washington is pressing for tough economic sanctions amid frustration over a controversial nuclear program. International oil and gas trader Vitol, one of the largest such companies in the world, and Russia's Lukoil recently announced decisions to pull out of Iran due in part to Western pressure.
U.S. President Barack Obama during a nuclear summit in Washington this week pressed Beijing for support of tough sanctions on Iran at the U.N. Security Council, where China holds veto power. Beijing, however, said it would prefer diplomacy.
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns said it would be "difficult" to persuade China to stop working with Iran because of the close economic relations.
Trade between China and Iran has doubled during the past 10 years.
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