{
  "id": 2208580,
  "title": "US Treasury chief urges China to back proposed Iran sanctions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/us-treasury-chief-urges-china-to-back-proposed-iran-sanctions",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T19:36:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/us-treasury-chief-urges-china-back-proposed-iran-sanctions"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged China to support proposed sanctions on Iran. He said that China, which gets 50 percent of its energy from the Gulf, would benefit from the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and lower energy prices.\n\nBessent told CNBC that it would be in China's interest to \"get with the programme\". When asked if Washington could target China for doing business with Iran, he said such discussions were best held in private.\n\nAccording to Reuters, Bessent stated that the new economic sanctions would aim to isolate Iran and that both allies and adversaries would be forced to choose sides. He claimed that this would be the greatest coordinated economic isolation in history and that it would lead to the collapse of the Iranian regime.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Iran’s central bank says oil exports have fallen to zero amid war and sanctions",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/irans-central-bank-says-oil-exports-have-fallen-to-zero-amid-war-and",
        "published": "2026-08-20T09:22:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Arabian Business",
        "title": "US vows ‘toughest sanctions in history’ on Iran as Trump threatens countries providing lifeline",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/us-vows-toughest-sanctions-in-history-on-iran-as-trump-threatens",
        "published": "2026-08-20T21:03:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}