US Sanctions against Iran and its Impact on China-Saudi Arabia Oil Cooperation (2009-2019)

China's expansionist policies have increased the country's need for energy resources and increased oil and gas imports from around the world, especially from the Persian Gulf. This has drawn China's attention to the two main pillars of energy supply in the Persian Gulf: Iran and Saudi Arabia. However, China-Saudi Arabia and China-Iran's energy relations have had many ups and downs and the main reason can be found in the political issues and specific issues of the region, including the special relations between this two countries with the United States. This research seeks to answer the question of how U.S. sanctions against Iran in 2009-2019 have affected China and Saudi Arabia's oil cooperation. In response to this hypothesis, an explanatory method is used to examine that U.S. sanctions against Iran, by reducing the opportunities for China-Iran's energy cooperation, have led to the expansion of China –Saudi Arabia's oil cooperation in 2009-2019. This research concludes that the U.S. sanctions system isolated the powerful Iran in the economic field and created a golden opportunity for China and Saudi Arabia to strengthen their economic relations, especially energy relations.