New York Times: US Sanctions on Iran Ineffective Without China’s Cooperation

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, The New York Times reported that United States sanctions against Iran will not succeed without China’s compliance, with Beijing increasingly holding leverage over Washington due to its potent economic power. The primary reason U.S. pressure could backfire is that China is equipped to cut off supplies of vital minerals to American companies, including U.S. weapons manufacturers.

The Times stated that China previously demonstrated this economic “chokehold” power during its trade confrontation with Washington last year, when Beijing restricted exports of critical minerals, compelling President Trump to halt an escalating trade war. The ensuing de-escalation has largely been maintained.

The newspaper noted that this experience may have bolstered Beijing’s belief that Washington would hesitate to impose sweeping economic penalties on China for trading with Iran.

The report adds that China could retaliate by limiting the supply of critical minerals to American technology firms and defense manufacturers at a time when U.S. reserves of some of these materials are depleted due to conflict.

However, China’s confidence relies on more than its ability to harm the United States. Beijing also holds a unique position in Iran’s economy—a position that makes Chinese cooperation essential if President Trump intends to economically isolate Tehran through sanctions.

China was Iran’s largest trading partner in 2025. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission estimates that Iran’s crude oil exports to China were worth approximately $31.2 billion last year, while the total value of China-Iran trade was nearly $41.2 billion.

China also remains Iran’s largest customer for oil by a significant margin. According to the New York Times, Chinese buyers account for up to 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports. A substantial portion of the crude oil is purchased by smaller, independent Chinese refineries known as “teapots,” which are relatively insulated from the international financial system and thus less vulnerable to conventional U.S. sanctions.

Washington can sanction Iranian banks, companies, vessels, and oil traders, but if China continues to buy Iranian crude and maintain trade relations with Tehran, Iran will retain a vital source of foreign revenue and access to one of the world’s largest economies.

The report argues that the issue is not simply whether China can resist U.S. sanctions. The larger question is whether Washington can impose effective economic isolation on Iran without China’s cooperation—and whether it can pressure Beijing without provoking an economic backlash that would harm U.S. industry itself.

The New York Times report indicates that Chinese analysts increasingly view the conflict over Iran as evidence of what they perceive as Washington’s growing weakness.

Wu Xinbo, a leading scholar of American studies at Shanghai’s Fudan University who advises China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described President Trump’s latest threat as evidence of what he calls the U.S. administration’s desperation regarding Iran.

Wu argued that Washington makes this threat because it has few alternatives to escape what he described as a “self-made dilemma.” China’s confidence is also bolstered by a broader strategic picture. The United States has diverted some of its military assets from the Pacific to support operations in the Middle East.

Most recently, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington departed the region. Chinese observers view such moves as potentially weakening the U.S. military’s posture in Asia while Washington simultaneously tries to pressure Beijing over Iran.

The outcome is a difficult strategic equation for Washington: the U.S. can increase pressure on Tehran, but doing so without Beijing’s cooperation could be significantly more difficult—and potentially more costly—than imposing sanctions on Iran alone.