China Opposes U.S. Sanctions on Iran, Defends Cooperation

China opposed the new U.S. sanctions campaign against Iran, saying the measures lack a basis in international law or a U.N. Security Council mandate.

“Economic warfare and maximum pressure provide no solution,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on its official X account. Such measures fuel tensions, disrupt the global economic and financial order and harm the interests of others, according to the post.

China’s cooperation with Iran complies with international law, the ministry said. It described dialogue and negotiation as the only appropriate way forward.

The ministry said it was closely following the situation and would take all necessary steps to protect China’s rights and interests.

The post referred to the U.S. initiative as an “economic D-Day.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent compared the campaign’s launch to D-Day in remarks released as prepared for delivery.

In those remarks, Bessent said the U.S. Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast on Aug. 24 at President Donald Trump’s direction. He described its aim as severing Iran’s global financial connections and blocking revenue reaching the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian government.

The sectoral determinations cover digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping. Bessent said the Office of Foreign Assets Control was sanctioning more than 60 entities, individuals and vessels worldwide.

Bessent called for every Bank Melli branch to close and warned that any entity facilitating money laundering on Iran’s behalf would be removed from the U.S. dollar system.

Every country had a defined timeline to end activities identified by U.S. officials, Bessent said. The United States would act unilaterally through Treasury authorities if countries failed to take action, he said.

The Treasury remarks did not disclose the individual country deadlines or say when unilateral enforcement might begin.