Beijing calls for diplomacy as Washington threatens to isolate Iran's economy and its trading partners, with China — Iran's top oil buyer — squarely in the crosshairs ahead of a planned Trump-Xi summit
China has firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's threat to unleash what he called the "most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country" on Iran, warning that sanctions and pressure will not resolve the six-month-old crisis.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing that "sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue," urging "relevant parties to take responsible measures and seek to solve the issue through diplomatic and political means." Lin repeated the message at a follow-up briefing, saying such measures do not "fit the interest of any party."
The pushback follows a Truth Social post Trump published Wednesday evening, in which he vowed "Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale" against Iran over Tehran's refusal to reach a deal ending the war. Trump singled out oil smuggling, financial swap lines, cash transfers, foreign exchange houses, ship registries and front companies as targets, though he did not name specific countries.
China did not need naming. Beijing buys more than 90 percent of Iran's oil exports and was Iran's second-largest trading partner in 2025, behind the United Arab Emirates — which this week severed all economic ties with Tehran. Washington has already sanctioned a number of smaller Chinese "teapot" refineries and trading firms since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February, but has so far stopped short of targeting the major state banks that finance the bulk of the oil trade.
That restraint reflects the delicate balance both sides are navigating. Beijing does not recognize unilateral US sanctions and in May ordered domestic firms not to comply with penalties on five refiners. Yet its largest state banks have a long history of quietly complying with US sanctions on Iran and North Korea to preserve access to the dollar-clearing system — leaving Chinese lenders caught between political directives at home and financial exposure abroad.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent amplified the pressure Thursday, telling CNBC that Beijing needed to "get with the program," while declining to detail private conversations with Chinese counterparts. Bessent also revived talk of regime change in Tehran, saying sustained economic pressure made a return to "large-scale kinetic" military action less likely — a notable shift after months of the administration insisting the war's sole aim was preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon.
The timing raises the stakes considerably. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are due to meet at the White House on September 24, and analysts say Washington has limited real leverage over Beijing. China's independent refiners largely operate outside the US financial system, and Chatham House's Yu Jie noted the threats are unlikely to "alter China's involvement and the existing trading relationship with Iran."
Iran, for its part, has branded the US campaign "economic terrorism" and "unlawful," vowing it will fail. Its foreign minister called the pressure a continuation of Washington's "failed policies" that will lead to "further defeat" for the United States.