CHINA CALLS OUT US 'SANCTION CAMPAIGN' TO ISOLATE IRAN, NOT THE SOLUTION
Urges Trump admin to 'TAKE RESPONSIBLE MEASURES' & solve issues DIPLOMATICALLY
China has on Thursday condemned what it calls Washington’s “pressure tactics” after Trump threatened “draconian sanctions” against countries and entities cooperating with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Beijing says sanctions and pressure “are not the solution” and is calling on all sides to “act responsibly” and stick to a political and diplomatic approach.
Tehran remains at the center of this tug of war between Washington and Beijing as the US President Donald Trump declared economic war on anyone keeping Iran alive.
Trump's “Economic D-Day” is an attempt to financially isolate Iran on a scale Washington says has never been attempted before and Treasury Sec. Bessent made the objective brutally clear, to cripple and collapse the Iranian regime.
That means targeting not just Iran, but the countries, banks and businesses that continue trading with it which brings Washington directly into collision with Beijing.
China is buying the overwhelming majority of Iran's shipped oil.
So if Trump genuinely intends to economically strangle Tehran, eventually he has to answer the question everyone is asking: What happens when China refuses to stop?
He faces two choices:
Don't enforce the sanctions aggressively against China, and Tehran retains the economic lifeline Washington is trying to sever. Enforce them, and what began as an economic war against Iran starts becoming an economic confrontation with the world's second-largest economy.
And China isn't Iran.
Beijing has economic weapons of its own: Rare earths, manufacturing, critical supply chains, and, crucially, an alternative financial architecture it's spent years developing precisely because it never wanted Washington to possess a permanent veto over Chinese commerce.
That's the part of this story that could become far more consequential than whatever happens in the Strait of Hormuz.
America's greatest economic weapon isn't an aircraft carrier, it's the dollar. Access to the dollar system gives Washington an extraordinary ability to punish governments, banks and companies almost anywhere on Earth.
But that power only remains overwhelming for as long as the rest of the world has no viable alternative.
Every time Washington weaponises it, it creates another incentive to build one. And Trump is now threatening to demonstrate that vulnerability on an enormous scale.
China doesn't need to overthrow the dollar tomorrow; it just needs enough infrastructure to continue trading when Washington says: Stop, or else.
And once that infrastructure exists, other countries gain access to the same insurance policy.
Trump's war on Iran exposed the limits of American military power. His economic war may be about to expose the limits of America's financial power too.
Various economic terrorism and sanctions by Washington against Tehran in the past decades have failed blatantly. The US military might also failed to compel and force Iran obedient.
Iranian leaders have variously stated that they will not surrender until Trump bowled to their demands as the Strait of Hormuz remains a tangible weapon to force Washington to concede.
Iran on Thursday warned US warships to withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz region, stating that military action would be taken if they advanced further.
Tensions between Iran and the US regarding Hormuz are indeed very high; however, there have not been an independent confirmation of the claim that "warships would be sunk."
In essence, Iran is warning the US that advancing into its maritime territory or the Strait of Hormuz could lead to a confrontation.
The earlier report was that the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for nine months in the Middle East is heading home to California on Thursday, weeks after reports first emerged of tough conditions for sailors on board.
As the Carrier now heads home to San Diego — journey expected to take 4–5 WEEKS
Urges Trump admin to 'TAKE RESPONSIBLE MEASURES' & solve issues DIPLOMATICALLY
China has on Thursday condemned what it calls Washington’s “pressure tactics” after Trump threatened “draconian sanctions” against countries and entities cooperating with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Beijing says sanctions and pressure “are not the solution” and is calling on all sides to “act responsibly” and stick to a political and diplomatic approach.
Tehran remains at the center of this tug of war between Washington and Beijing as the US President Donald Trump declared economic war on anyone keeping Iran alive.
Trump's “Economic D-Day” is an attempt to financially isolate Iran on a scale Washington says has never been attempted before and Treasury Sec. Bessent made the objective brutally clear, to cripple and collapse the Iranian regime.
That means targeting not just Iran, but the countries, banks and businesses that continue trading with it which brings Washington directly into collision with Beijing.
China is buying the overwhelming majority of Iran's shipped oil.
So if Trump genuinely intends to economically strangle Tehran, eventually he has to answer the question everyone is asking: What happens when China refuses to stop?
He faces two choices:
Don't enforce the sanctions aggressively against China, and Tehran retains the economic lifeline Washington is trying to sever. Enforce them, and what began as an economic war against Iran starts becoming an economic confrontation with the world's second-largest economy.
And China isn't Iran.
Beijing has economic weapons of its own: Rare earths, manufacturing, critical supply chains, and, crucially, an alternative financial architecture it's spent years developing precisely because it never wanted Washington to possess a permanent veto over Chinese commerce.
That's the part of this story that could become far more consequential than whatever happens in the Strait of Hormuz.
America's greatest economic weapon isn't an aircraft carrier, it's the dollar. Access to the dollar system gives Washington an extraordinary ability to punish governments, banks and companies almost anywhere on Earth.
But that power only remains overwhelming for as long as the rest of the world has no viable alternative.
Every time Washington weaponises it, it creates another incentive to build one. And Trump is now threatening to demonstrate that vulnerability on an enormous scale.
China doesn't need to overthrow the dollar tomorrow; it just needs enough infrastructure to continue trading when Washington says: Stop, or else.
And once that infrastructure exists, other countries gain access to the same insurance policy.
Trump's war on Iran exposed the limits of American military power. His economic war may be about to expose the limits of America's financial power too.
Various economic terrorism and sanctions by Washington against Tehran in the past decades have failed blatantly. The US military might also failed to compel and force Iran obedient.
Iranian leaders have variously stated that they will not surrender until Trump bowled to their demands as the Strait of Hormuz remains a tangible weapon to force Washington to concede.
Iran on Thursday warned US warships to withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz region, stating that military action would be taken if they advanced further.
Tensions between Iran and the US regarding Hormuz are indeed very high; however, there have not been an independent confirmation of the claim that "warships would be sunk."
In essence, Iran is warning the US that advancing into its maritime territory or the Strait of Hormuz could lead to a confrontation.
The earlier report was that the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for nine months in the Middle East is heading home to California on Thursday, weeks after reports first emerged of tough conditions for sailors on board.
As the Carrier now heads home to San Diego — journey expected to take 4–5 WEEKS
