\n US President Donald Trump\u2019s threat of an \u201ceconomic D-Day\u201d against Iran is unlikely to bend the country to his will without China joining in. But Trump has little leverage over China to make that happen.\n <\/p>\n
\n Last week, the American president vowed \u201ctremendous economic consequences\u201d against countries<\/a> that continue to do business with Tehran. And on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent doubled down on Trump\u2019s warnings,<\/a> promising the \u201csingle greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary\u201d in a Financial Times op-ed published a day before he\u2019s expected to unveil details on Washington\u2019s pressure campaign.\n <\/p>\n \n Beijing buys roughly 90% of Iranian crude exports, according to a fact sheet by a US Congress commission<\/a>. China doesn\u2019t acknowledge importing Iranian crude<\/a> in its customs data.\n <\/p>\n \n That\u2019s unlikely to change now, especially as China sees how unpopular the ongoing conflict has been within the US and abroad, and as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to visit the United States next month.\n <\/p>\n \n After a tumultuous year of US-China relations triggered by his renewed tariff offensive, Trump has every reason to prevent tensions between the world\u2019s two largest economies from flaring up again. His May visit to Beijing<\/a> has calmed the waters for now.\n <\/p>\n \n In response to Washington\u2019s economic pressure campaign against Iran, Lin Jian, China\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson, said that \u201csanctions and pressure tactics are not the solution.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cChina calls on parties to act responsibly and stick to the political and diplomatic approach,\u201d he reiterated on Friday.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump also possesses increasingly limited economic options he could leverage against China. The US Treasury Department has sanctioned independent Chinese refineries<\/a> that have been importing Iranian crude, but in May, Beijing ordered its companies to ignore those restrictions.\n <\/p>\n