Iran’s new Oil Minister, Javad Owji, met on Thursday with a top official from the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in Tehran to discuss cooperation and expansion of bilateral relations. Owji met today with Libin Zhang, the deputy head of CNPC’s Middle Eastern division, to talk about boosting cooperation, Iranian media report . CNPC has developed the North Azadegan oilfield in Iran, which is located along the border with Iraq. The new Iranian president and administration continue to work on close ties with China, which were forged during the previous administration. China is Iran’s biggest trade partner and one of the very few countries still importing some crude oil from Iran despite the U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic’s oil exports and oil industry. China has always said it opposes the “unilateral” U.S. sanctions against oil producers and continues to buy crude, especially from Iran. Iran’s oil sales to […]