Charisse Pham

The U.S.

Treasury Department said on Friday that it sanctioned a major oil refinery in China.

because it was helping sustain Iran's oil economy.

The department is also targeting dozens of other shipping firms and vessels that it said are part of a clandestine network of tankers working on behalf of Tehran to bypass international sanctions.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said in a statement that any person or vessel buying and moving Iranian oil, quote, risks exposure to U.S.

sanctions.

China has previously said it opposes what it calls illegal unilateral sanctions.

For NPR News, I'm Charisse Pham in Hong Kong.

This verdict was widely expected.

The judge is saying that there is, quote, no doubt that Lai harbored his resentment and hatred of the People's Republic of China for many of his adult years.

They say he colluded with foreign forces to encourage countries to put sanctions on China and Hong Kong during the anti-government protests that crippled the city in 2019.

The judge has cited WhatsApp messages where Jimmy Lai and an aide, Mark Simon,

set up meetings with senior U.S.

officials including then-Vice President Mike Pence and then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Lai now awaits sentencing.

The 78-year-old faces up to life in prison.

For NPR News, I'm Charisse Pham in Hong Kong.

Cherise Pham has more.

Hong Kong is a city in mourning.

Government officials held a moment of silence, remembering those who perished in one of the worst fires in Hong Kong's history.