Iran war: China says US ‘sanctions and pressure’ on Tehran not a solution

Skip to content China said on Friday that US “sanctions and pressure” would not resolve the Middle East conflict, after Washington urged governments including Beijing to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy. Tehran, Iran. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. The United States has vowed it would “collapse” the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign, which Tehran has branded as “economic terrorism” doomed to fail, nearly six months since their war began. Asked about US President Donald Trump’s threats, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Friday that “sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue”. “China calls on all relevant parties to take responsible measures and resolve the problem through political and diplomatic means,” he said. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has defended Trump’s push for economic pressure on Tehran. When asked whether the United States would pressure China to join the campaign, Bessent told CNBC that “many conversations are best to have in private”, but called on Beijing “to get with the programme”. Spokesman Lin reiterated the need for all parties to take “responsible measures” in resolving the war, when he was asked about Bessent’s comments. “China opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council,” Lin said. isk/ami Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Dateline:Beijing, China Type of Story: News ServiceProduced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to high journalistic standards. Agence France-Press (AFP) is "a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives." HKFP relies on AFP, and its international bureaus, to cover topics we cannot. Read their Ethics Code here More by AFP