BEIJING: China said on Tuesday that dialogue and negotiation are the “only right way forward” to resolve the conflict between the United States and Iran, rejecting sanctions imposed without a basis in international law or a United Nations Security Council mandate.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, responding to the US “economic D-Day” against Iran, said Beijing was firmly opposed to such sanctions and warned that “economic warfare and maximum pressure” offered no solution.
“China is firmly against sanctions that have no basis in international law or UN Security Council mandate. Economic warfare and maximum pressure provide no solution,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Lin said such measures would only fuel tensions, disrupt the global economic and financial order and harm the interests of other countries.
“They only serve to fuel tensions, disrupt global economic and financial order, and hurt everyone else’s interests. Dialogue and negotiation is the only right way forward,” the spokesperson said.
He added that China’s cooperation with Iran complies with international law and said Beijing was closely monitoring developments and would take necessary measures to protect its rights and interests. “We are closely following the situation and will do everything necessary to protect China’s rights and interests.”
MFA Spokesperson on U.S. “economic D-Day” against #Iran:
China is firmly against sanctions that have no basis in international law or UN Security Council mandate. Economic warfare and maximum pressure provide no solution. They only serve to fuel tensions, disrupt global economic… pic.twitter.com/uyHGHpcuya
— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) August 25, 2026
On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that countries aiding Iran will be cut out from the US financial system.
The warning came as part of his announcing “Operation Economic Outcast,” which targets Iran and its remaining supporters with huge sanctions.
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Bessent described the plans for sanctions as “the single greatest financial offensive ever” against Iran, warning banks and businesses would share in Iran’s isolation if they refused to cut ties with the country.
He declined to focus on specific nations, but said US President Donald Trump would be phoning world leaders “with specific requests to cease their interactions with the regime”.
China’s response followed Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh saying Tehran was “fully prepared” for the wider sanctions, which he said would lead to “another defeat” for the US.
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“The government is and was ready and has a two-year plan to manage these events,” he told state television.
“We also have our own tools and know how to play the game,” he said, adding Tehran had been “waiting for these plans for a long time”.
The US has dubbed its latest sanctions “Operation Economic Outcast” and described them as an “economic D-Day” against Iran.
It comes almost six months after the start of the Iran war.
The conflict has since led to hikes in oil prices worldwide, with Tehran effectively blocking exports through the Strait of Hormuz – a waterway vital to the global economy. The US has also slowed traffic via its own naval blockade.
