China warns against unilateral sanctions after U.S. vows "economic asphyxiation" of Iran

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- China has made clear on multiple occasions that it firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday. Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on media reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the "economic asphyxiation" of Iran, expanding Washington's secondary sanctions threats and warning of dire consequences for countries that do not join the campaign. Economic warfare and maximum pressure do not help solve problems. Instead, they only escalate tensions and conflicts, create spillover risks, disrupt the global economic and financial order, and undermine the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, Lin said. The pressing priority now is to de-escalate the situation and return to the track of dialogue and negotiation as soon as possible, he added. China's cooperation with Iran is always conducted within the framework of international law and should not be disrupted or undermined, Lin said. China is closely following relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, he noted.