Washington Pressures China Over Iran as Beijing Rejects Sanctions Strategy
China has rejected Washington’s call for countries to join a sweeping campaign to economically isolate Iran, urging the United States and other parties to pursue negotiations and diplomacy instead of sanctions and pressure.
The response came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Washington was preparing what he described as the “toughest sanctions in history” against Tehran and called on allies — as well as China — to support the effort.
Bessent said the United States was working towards what he called “the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world,” warning countries that they would have to choose whether to cooperate with Washington’s campaign against Iran.
China, however, pushed back against the strategy.
Beijing said sanctions and economic pressure would not resolve the crisis, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian urging all sides to take responsible steps and seek a political and diplomatic solution.
China’s position is significant because it is Iran’s largest customer for oil, with Chinese buyers accounting for more than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped crude, according to Reuters. Any attempt by Washington to tighten secondary sanctions could therefore put the United States and China on a fresh collision course over energy supplies and trade.
The confrontation comes as Washington intensifies its economic campaign against Tehran. The Trump administration has threatened severe consequences for countries and companies that continue to provide Iran with economic lifelines, while Bessent has signalled that further measures will be unveiled in the coming days.
For Beijing, however, the answer remains diplomacy.
China has repeatedly argued that military action, sanctions and economic coercion risk worsening tensions rather than resolving the underlying dispute. Its latest response puts it increasingly at odds with Washington as the United States seeks to build a broader international coalition to squeeze Iran’s economy.
The dispute could have consequences far beyond the US-Iran confrontation, particularly for global oil markets, as tighter restrictions on Iranian crude threaten to further disrupt supplies and increase pressure on major buyers such as China.
With Washington promising unprecedented economic pressure and Beijing calling for negotiations, the latest standoff adds another layer to an already intensifying confrontation between the United States, Iran and their respective partners.
