China vows to protect Iran ties after US sanctions threat

China pledged on Tuesday to safeguard its economic ties with Iran following the United States' imposition of sanctions on numerous Chinese entities and a threat to target a prominent financial institution for its dealings with Tehran. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian affirmed that China's relationship with Iran should remain undisturbed or unweakened.

The statement emerged just hours after the US announced these sanctions as part of President Donald Trump's strategy of economic pressure against Iran. As Iran's top oil importer, China has long supplied Tehran with a crucial economic lifeline. In recent days, the US has relocated its sole aircraft carrier in the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East and canceled a joint military exercise with South Korea, citing deployment-related constraints in the region surrounding Iran.

Jesse Marks, a former Middle East policy adviser in the US government and founder of Rihla Research & Advisory, stated that while China aims to keep the conflict contained, there is little incentive for Beijing to aid Trump in ending the situation without expecting a reciprocal benefit. The development occurs in the run-up to a September 24 summit in Washington, where Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump plan to maintain a trade truce between their economies.

Marks suggested that China might decrease purchases of Iranian oil or retain earnings from such transactions within Chinese banks. Alternatively, Beijing could vow to enforce stricter regulations on dual-use Chinese components that could potentially reach Iranian weapons programs before the meeting.