Will U.S. sanctions against Iran work without China's full participation?

The United States has unveiled a new wave of sanctions against Iran, described by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as "apocalyptic." These measures are part of the Trump administration's strategy to exert economic pressure, aiming to force Iran's surrender, end the nearly six-month war, and secure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

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The U.S. is "no longer managing the Iranian threat, we are ending it," Bessent declared, with sanctions that he vowed would "sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone."

Bessent declared that the U.S. is "no longer managing the Iranian threat, we are ending it," vowing that the sanctions would "sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone." Operation Economic Outcast expands secondary sanctions to countries and entities doing business with Tehran, targeting sectors like technology, shipping, and digital assets.

However, Iran experts express skepticism about the sanctions' potential impact. They note that Iran has historically survived such pressures through financial schemes and smuggling. Kate Dourian, a nonresident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, told BBC News that Iran "knows how to cope" and has "workarounds." The sanctions list includes sixty entities, some in the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, France, and the UK. Crucially, analysts point out that while some private Chinese businesses are targeted, major Chinese financial institutions are not, raising doubts about Bessent's dire predictions for Iran.

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They know how to cope. They have the workarounds. So, I think most of what Mr. Bessent said was targeted at other countries, not Iran.

Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert at Obsidian Risk Advisors, described the measures as "not economic D-Day." He questioned the justification for damaging international relations and global standing if the U.S. is unwilling to meaningfully target China, suggesting the sanctions' effectiveness is questionable without broader international cooperation, particularly from Beijing.

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This was not economic D-Day. If the United States is unwilling to meaningfully target China, can Washington reasonably justify damaging our international relations and global standing, for