China Casts Shadow Over US Economic Campaign Against Iran

The Trump administration's 'economic onslaught' on Iran has a major caveat: China. Beijing is Iran's biggest trading partner and oil buyer, making it difficult for the U.S. to isolate the Islamic Republic economically.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared an economic campaign against Iran's financial connections worldwide, but specifics about targeting China were absent from his remarks.

This omission has cast doubts on the effectiveness of the new campaign, as the U.S. must balance putting pressure on Iran with avoiding higher tensions with China that could be costly to the American economy.

Analysts say Beijing will likely wait and see how things unfold before taking action, trying to do the minimum required without openly confronting the U.S.