March 12, 2026 [Reuters]- China has ordered an immediate ban on refined ​fuel exports in March in a further step to pre-empt ‌a potential domestic fuel shortage caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, four sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

The ban, issued by the National ​Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), includes shipments of gasoline, diesel ​and aviation fuel, the sources said.

The halt applies to cargoes ⁠that had yet to clear customs as of March 11. ​The restriction on outbound flows goes beyond last week’s move by Beijing urging ​refiners not to agree to new exports and to try to cancel shipments they had already committed to.

Jet fuel for aviation bunkering is not included under ​the ban, two of the four sources said.

The NDRC did not ​immediately respond to a request for comment.

China is the world’s biggest oil importer ‌and ⁠a major fuel exporter.

Chinese oil majors had planned to ramp up fuel exports in February and March to profit from stronger margins amid a seasonal lull in domestic demand during the Lunar New Year ​holiday period, traders ​have said.

Traders had ⁠previously forecast March fuel exports at 2.2 million to 2.3 million tons for gasoline, diesel and ​jet fuel, excluding volumes for aviation bunkering, up by ​300,000 to 400,000 tons ⁠from February estimates.

For March so far, however, China has only shipped up to 50,000 metric tons of gasoline (422,500 barrels), 300,000 tons of diesel (2.24 ⁠million ​barrels) and 300,000 tons of seaborne jet ​fuel (2.36 million barrels), data from ship trackers and trade sources showed.