China on Friday rejected US President Donald Trump’s threat of an “economic D-Day” against Iran, saying sanctions do not “fit the interest of any party.”
Trump on Wednesday vowed to impose “tremendous economic consequences” on countries that continue to do business with Tehran.
“Today, I am announcing the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Any country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face tremendous economic consequences,” he added.
His announcement, however, contained no detail on what actions would be taken or which countries could be affected.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later urged Beijing to “get with the programme.”
China believes that “sanctions and pressure tactics are not the solution,” CNN quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian as saying at a news briefing on Friday.
Jian called on the relevant parties to resolve the dispute through negotiation and dialogue and work towards a political settlement.
China is a key source of economic support for Iran but has maintained a cautious diplomatic position amid the US-Iran war, keeping communications open with both sides.
Iran has also condemned Trump’s threat of an expanded economic campaign against Tehran, calling it “unlawful.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, said Tehran was prepared to “sacrifice our wealth” to defend the country’s “dignity and honor,” according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He added that “we must plan for unjust sanctions so that we can overcome them.”
Economic pressure mounts
The US has increasingly shifted its approach towards Iran, moving away from sustained military strikes and towards an economic campaign aimed at putting greater pressure on Tehran.
Last month, Trump paused attacks on Iran following two weeks of nightly strikes that failed to persuade Iranian officials to return to the negotiating table. The campaign also came amid reports that the conflict had placed significant pressure on US stocks of key munitions.
Pentagon advisers reportedly told Trump last month that the US military had nearly exhausted its list of viable targets inside Iran, suggesting that further strikes were unlikely to deliver significantly greater results.
The assessment indicated that the military campaign had reached the limits of what it could achieve through continued air attacks.
Since then, the White House has signalled a broader strategy focused on weakening Iran through economic pressure.
Bessent said last week that Washington would step up efforts to isolate Iran economically, signalling a renewed focus on restricting the country’s access to international trade and finance.
The US Treasury has for months been pursuing an initiative known as Operation Economic Fury, which seeks to disrupt Iran’s sources of revenue through targeted sanctions. The campaign has focused on financial networks and other channels that Washington says help Tehran generate funds.
At the same time, a US naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz has sought to restrict access to Iranian ports and impede oil exports, a crucial source of revenue for an economy heavily dependent on energy sales.
Iran is already operating under a wide-ranging web of US and Western sanctions that have weighed on its economy for years. The restrictions have limited Tehran’s access to international financial markets, disrupted trade and significantly constrained its ability to export oil.
The latest US strategy therefore represents an escalation of economic pressure on an economy that has already spent years adapting to sanctions, with Washington now seeking to further squeeze Iran’s revenues and reduce its ability to sustain its operations.
With inputs from agencies