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Why Chinese exporters and shipping firms remain wary despite the US-Iran peace deal

Traders and logistics companies fear disrupted supply chains and doubts about the agreement’s durability will continue to weigh on business decisions

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A cargo ship remains anchored on May 16 in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran. Photo: Getty Images
Mia Nurmamat
Iran and the United States may have entered a temporary ceasefire, but uncertainty over the agreement continues to cast a shadow over the operations of Chinese businesses across the Gulf region.

While the deal has raised hopes that business activity could gradually resume, many traders and investors remain reluctant to make long-term commitments.

For Abbas Shi, a Chinese businessman who has been helping connect Chinese companies with Iranian partners since 2024, the immediate priority is clearing a backlog of orders, not new business.

“The first thing everyone wants is to get all the cargo that’s been sitting at sea or waiting to be shipped moving again,” he said.

The interim accord reached between Washington and Tehran included a 60-day ceasefire, a waiver allowing Iran to export oil during that period and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides also approved a framework to negotiate a broader deal covering Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and the long-term reopening of the strait.

Before the truce, Iran’s blockade of the waterway had sharply curtailed commercial shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors, disrupting global supply chains and driving up transport costs.

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