US Economic Coercion Targets Iran, Tests Sino-Iranian Integration

US Operation Economic Outcast represents an evolution in Washington's strategy of coercion towards Iran. The operation aims to constrain Tehran's economic capacity and indirectly limit Sino-Iranian integration through secondary sanctions, pressure on oil and financial flows, and the targeting of intermediary networks.

The US Treasury Department no longer targets solely the Islamic Republic but also any entity supporting its economy through a system of secondary sanctions. This strategy stems from the inability to achieve a decisive military victory six months after the beginning of the offensive.

Beijing has responded to the operation, describing US secondary sanctions as illegal and unilateral. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated that Sino-Iranian energy and trade cooperation complies with international law and that China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and companies.

The Trump administration has placed several private Chinese and Hong Kong-based companies active in shipping and refining on the blacklist, while avoiding major state-owned banks to limit the risk of destabilizing the global financial system. Pressure on Beijing is part of a broader intensification of the US-China economic confrontation.