Beijing censures Iran-related US sanctions on Chinese entities

“The US action lacks factual basis and due process, harming the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals,” a spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry told reporters on Monday.

The spokesperson also vowed that “China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals.”

Last week, Washington slapped a new round of sanctions on more than a dozen individuals and entities in Iran, China, and Hong Kong over what it claimed to be aiding the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program.

“This network conducted transactions and facilitated the procurement of sensitive and critical parts and technology for key actors in Iran’s ballistic missile development, including Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics,” the US Treasury Department claimed in the statement on Tuesday.

The sanctions, which ban US firms, individuals, and companies from doing business with those placed on the blacklist, come as China and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement in March 2021 to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance.

The bans are also part of Washington’s so-called pressure campaign against Tehran.

The United States under former President Donald Trump reinstated crippling sanctions on Iran after unilaterally walking out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018, despite Iran’s full compliance with the terms of the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that the country will not hesitate to strengthen its military capabilities, including its missile power, which are entirely meant for defense, saying the Islamic Republic’s defense capabilities will be never subject to negotiations.