US Vows 'Crushing' Economic War on Iran; China Refuses
President Trump announced an unprecedented “crushing economic operation” against Iran after talks collapsed, warning that any country offering Tehran a lifeline would face severe financial retaliation. China publicly refused to join, calling for dialogue and warning that “military force and pressure tactics will only lead to escalation”. Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the measures as “illegal and inhumane”, and said they threatened the global economy.
The rhetoric marks a further hardening on Day 174 of the war, from squeezing Iran’s economy towards openly seeking to break it. The crux is China, Tehran’s biggest oil customer, which has kept buying Iranian crude in defiance of sanctions and has no interest in tightening the noose; without Beijing, any global embargo leaks. Washington’s ‘with us or against us’ framing pressures third countries to choose, but many will resist conscription into an American campaign. Oil jumped above $94 before easing, a sign markets doubt the threat can be fully enforced. Watch whether the promised sanctions land and how Tehran routes around them.