Says they lack a basis in international law and are not authorised by the UN Security Council

BEIJING: China on Tuesday opposed what it described as “illegal unilateral sanctions” as the United States moves to impose sweeping secondary sanctions targeting Iran’s commercial aviation network.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law or authorization from the UN Security Council.

China has repeatedly criticized US sanctions against Iran and what it calls Washington’s “long-arm jurisdiction.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that operations of Iranian commercial airlines worldwide would effectively be halted from Wednesday as part of Washington’s sanctions campaign.

Bessent told CNBC that all Iranian airlines would be shut down around the world from September 23.

He also warned that foreign airports and companies providing Iranian aircraft with fuel, landing services or ticketing could face restrictions on access to the US banking system and dollar-clearing network.

Bessent said Washington had discussed enforcement of the measures with China and that Chinese financial authorities, including People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng, were engaged in the process.

He added that US authorities had identified financial intermediaries allegedly helping Iran evade sanctions and would target them as part of the broader pressure campaign.

The US Treasury announced earlier this month that it had sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and other entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector under its sanctions programme.

The measures are part of Washington’s broader campaign to restrict Iran’s access to international finance and commercial networks as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to affect the wider Middle East.