Beijing has vowed to protect its interests after the US announced it would extend sanctions on Iran and its trading partners, including China, the BBC reports.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said the country firmly opposes unilateral, illegal sanctions and will use all necessary means to safeguard its rights. The statement follows US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement of new sanctions on Monday. Bessent also warned that any country that does business with Iran would be isolated.
China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, although trade has declined since the US imposed a naval blockade. China’s Foreign Ministry said cooperation between Beijing and Tehran had always been in accordance with international law and should not interfere or interfere.
Bessent described the new sanctions as the largest ever financial attack on Iran and warned banks and companies doing business with Tehran that they too would be isolated if they refused to cut ties with the country. He declined to name specific countries, but said US President Donald Trump would be reaching out to leaders about their dealings with the regime in Tehran. However, when asked about Chinese banks,
Bessent said it was important to be clear that no one was exempt from US sanctions.
With talks scheduled for September between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Washington may want to avoid aggravating relations with Beijing, which controls most of the world’s rare earth metals and other critical minerals needed to make many high-tech products.
Beijing has already tightened controls on rare earth exports.
China’s response to the new sanctions followed comments by Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh that Tehran was fully prepared for broader sanctions, which he said would be another defeat for the United States. He said on state television that the government was ready and had a two-year plan to withstand the sanctions.
Read also: US threatens economic “D-Day”; Iran vows to completely stop oil exports
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