US warns allies and China to join Iran economic pressure campaign

The United States has urged its allies and China to join a campaign to isolate Iran's economy. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the planned sanctions as the "toughest in history". He said the measures would form part of a broader campaign of economic isolation, aiming to force Iran towards a settlement.

According to Bessent, the US would combine its existing blockade with sweeping new sanctions, which he described as a "one-two punch". He added that the measures would put further pressure on Iran's economy and that it would "work in Iran and we are going to collapse this regime". Bessent will hold a press conference on Monday to explain the measures in detail.

Iran has condemned the fresh sanctions, describing them as "economic terrorism" and a "crime against humanity". The Iranian foreign ministry stated that the sanctions target the fundamental human rights of individual Iranian citizens. China, Iran's biggest oil customer, has rejected the US approach, saying sanctions and pressure would not help resolve the conflict and urging the parties to pursue political and diplomatic solutions.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Times of India, Free Malaysia Today, Malay Mail, KBS World Radio — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.