Iran's Ghalibaf welcomes China’s rejection of new US sanctions, Pezeshkian says US economic pressure would 'fail'

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf expressed satisfaction with China's rejection of the Trump administration's recent sanctions campaign targeting Tehran. Ghalibaf deemed Beijing's stance as a "principled statement" against what he described as illegal measures. In a post on X, he emphasized that Iran-China's comprehensive strategic partnership is built on mutual respect, win-win cooperation, and a shared vision for a multipolar world. They do not require anyone's permission.

Operation Economic Outcast, announced by the US Treasury Department on August 24, targeted over 60 entities associated with Iran's oil smuggling, nuclear, missile, and cyber programs. This campaign aimed to further isolate Iran economically and pressurize its trading partners. China, Iran's largest oil importer and a crucial economic partner under a 25-year strategic partnership agreement, firmly opposed the sanctions.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that Beijing was "firmly against sanctions lacking international law or UN Security Council mandate," describing them as economic warfare that provokes tensions and disrupts global order. China pledged to protect its rights and interests and take necessary measures against the secondary sanctions.

US officials and supporters have claimed that the pressure is becoming increasingly effective in constraining Iran's economy. However, critics have questioned the practical enforceability of secondary sanctions against significant partners like China. Ghalibaf, serving as Speaker of Iran's Parliament (Majlis) and Iran's special envoy for China affairs, has frequently emphasized multipolarity, resistance to unilateral pressure, and the prioritization of economic partnerships that bypass Western systems.

His public statements have frequently mixed defiance with acknowledgment of economic realities. He has dismissed some US threats as ineffective "bombast," asserting that Iran's trading partners would not abandon it and that the US lacks the power to fully restrict those ties. Still, he has rejected the notion that sanctions are meaningless "scraps of paper" while stressing Iran's need to shift focus from military confrontation towards economic development and strengthening ties with China to alleviate pressure on the population.