- By Aditya Jha
- Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:27 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Iran-Israel-US War: The war between Iran and the joint forces of Israel and the US entered its 12th day on Wednesday, with no signs of immediate relief. The situation has affected the supply of crude and other key products through the Middle East region, leading to a surge in prices, especially in the Asian nations. However, recent reports suggest that China could have anticipated the war beforehand, as it increased the oil imports significantly in the last few months. The extra storage of oil is likely to provide temporary relief to Beijing amid the ongoing war.
China Increased Oil Import
As per the customs data released by Beijing earlier on Tuesday, China had boosted oil purchases in the first two months of the year before fighting broke out in West Asia. It imported 15.8 per cent more oil in January-February this year compared to the same time in 2025. China, the world's biggest oil importer, could have decided to increase its imports as part of its strategy.
The data suggests that Beijing continued to buy oil at a record rate even as domestic oil consumption steadily declined, possibly to boost its strategic reserves. The US has targeted Venezuela and Iran, two of China's dependable sources of oil in the past few years. However, changes in political dynamics in both nations have raised questions about the future of the agreements China had with these countries.
Beijing Bought Russian Oil
Apart from this, China also expanded its source of exporters by increasing its purchase of Russian oil this year. While India reduced the oil purchase from Russia, mainly due to the objections from the US, Beijing increased its oil imports. However, no data suggests that even New Delhi completely stopped buying oil from Russia.
Iran has asserted that it will continue to attack the US bases in West Asia, further threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint in the Arabian Sea.