Beijing (TDI): China has urged the United States not to interfere with its economic cooperation with Iran after Washington launched a sweeping new sanctions campaign aimed at cutting Tehran off from the global financial system.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that China’s trade and economic engagement with Iran was conducted in accordance with international law and should not be disrupted by unilateral US measures.
“Economic wars and maximum pressure are not the solution,” Lin said, warning that the new sanctions could further escalate tensions and create risks for the wider global economy.
He called on the parties to priorities de-escalation and return to dialogue and negotiations, while stressing that Beijing would take necessary measures to protect its legitimate interests.
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China is among the largest buyers of Iranian oil and maintains a comprehensive strategic partnership with Tehran. Bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $41 billion last year.
Lin also reiterated Beijing’s opposition to what it described as unilateral sanctions imposed without a basis in international law or authorization from the UN Security Council.
The comments came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what Washington has called “Operation Economic Outcast”, a campaign designed to intensify economic pressure on Tehran.
Bessent said the US objective was to sever the economic channels supporting the Iranian government and argued that Washington was now focused on ending what it considers the Iranian threat rather than simply managing it.
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On China, Bessent said Washington was seeking to engage Beijing through quiet diplomacy while discussing the US expectations regarding Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state broadcaster said more than 50 of its facilities were targeted during the latest 40-day conflict involving the United States and Israel.
Peyman Jebelli, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that the broadcaster’s headquarters in Tehran, known as the Glass Building, was also struck for a second time.
He said damage to the broadcaster during the latest conflict was several times greater than that suffered during the 12-day war in June 2025.
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According to Jebelli, the latest strikes hit two sides of the Glass Building, causing several floors to collapse and bringing down a concrete wall.
Reconstruction work had already been planned following the earlier attack, but was delayed after hostilities resumed. Jebelli said repairs would begin once security conditions stabilize, although IRIB will also have to allocate funds to dozens of other damaged facilities.
The Glass Building, located within the IRIB complex in northern Tehran, is one of the most recognizable structures associated with Iran’s state broadcasting network.
