Energy security has always played a vital role in China’s economic growth strategy and national security doctrine, driving the country toward diversifying its energy supply sources. Meanwhile, Iran, owing to its vast oil and gas reserves and privileged geopolitical position in West Asia, has consistently held a strategic place in China’s energy calculations. Using a library research method and qualitative content analysis, this study seeks to answer the question of what China’s energy policy toward Iran has been during the 2018–2023 period?. Using the strategic principles of the neo-mercantilism school, with a focus on prioritizing national security and using energy as a tool of state power and influence in the international environment, the results have shown that the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in China's energy policy (2018-2023) has gone beyond a mere energy supplier and has acted as a geo-economic component in the service of strengthening national security and increasing the power of the Chinese government. With a strategic view of Iran's vast hydrocarbon resources, geopolitical position, and capacity to diversify its supply sources, Beijing has tried to take advantage of energy interaction with Iran to reduce dependence, reduce vulnerability to external pressures, and enhance its maneuverability in international competitions. However, China's policy toward Iran has always been cautious, selective, and subject to a balance between economic interests, national security requirements, and the constraints of the international system structure.