Pakistan Joins China in Rejecting Trump's Iran Sanctions — SkimNews
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- Trump launched "Operation Economic Outcast" last week, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on August 24 calling it an unprecedented effort to sever Iran's economic lifelines by targeting digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping.
- Pakistan's Foreign Office declined to change course on Iran trade, with Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stating commerce "remains in consonance" with international law and bilateral agreements — with no review or suspension of ties announced.
- Pakistan avoided directly criticizing the U.S. while positioning itself as a mediator, with Andrabi expressing hope that economic issues would be settled as part of a "wider settlement of the U.S.-Iran standoff."
- China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian rejected the sanctions as "illegal unilateral sanctions," pledging Beijing will take "all necessary measures" to protect its rights and interests.
- Pakistan and China both anchored their responses in international law — a shared framing the source says effectively denies legitimacy to unilateral U.S. measures lacking UN authorization.
- The source notes Iran has lived under layers of U.S. sanctions for decades without altering its core positions, and analysts argue the new campaign functions more as "rhetorical escalation" than as a channel for decisive change on the ground.
Why it matters: Pakistan's explicit refusal to subordinate its bilateral Iran trade to Washington's secondary sanctions — coupled with China's identical framing — exposes the limits of unilateral U.S. economic coercion absent multilateral backing. By preserving trade ties, invoking international law, and claiming a mediatory role, Islamabad shields an economic relationship that has long withstood U.S. pressure, while Washington absorbs the reputational cost of a sanctions push analysts describe as rhetorical escalation unlikely to shift Iran's core positions.
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