US presses China over Iran support

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped up pressure on China and Russia over the Strait of Hormuz crisis, warning that countries helping Iran evade sanctions could face economic consequences from the United States.

Speaking during a White House briefing, Rubio said the Trump administration was preparing a renewed push at the United Nations while also warning Beijing that its economic interests were being harmed by Iran’s actions in the Gulf.

“We’re going to the UN,” Rubio said. “We’re going to give it another chance to be a forum in which we’re not even asking people to commit troops to the region.”

The administration is seeking international condemnation of Iran over attacks on commercial shipping and the mining of international waters in the Strait of Hormuz.

“All we’re asking them to do is to condemn it, to call on Iran to stop blowing ships, to remove these mines, and to allow humanitarian relief to come through,” Rubio said.

Rubio acknowledged that a similar UN effort had previously faced resistance from China and Russia.

“We’ve made some slight adjustments to the language,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll avoid a veto or not.”

The secretary of state described the crisis as a test of the credibility of the United Nations system.

“What is the purpose of the UN?” Rubio asked. “The UN was supposed to be a place where you could peacefully resolve global conflict.”

Rubio repeatedly accused Iran of unlawfully trying to control one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.

“These guys are bombing commercial vessels,” Rubio said. “They’re not bombing naval vessels; they’re bombing commercial tankers.”

The Trump administration has increasingly focused on China’s economic relationship with Iran as Washington expands sanctions enforcement.

Rubio warned that foreign financial institutions and companies helping Tehran bypass sanctions could face secondary sanctions and loss of access to the US financial system.

“We’re serious about our sanctions,” Rubio said. “A cost needs to be imposed on Iran for what they are doing.”

Asked specifically whether Chinese banks could face penalties, Rubio declined to announce specific measures but indicated Treasury officials were actively examining enforcement options.

“If you ignore our sanctions, you’re going to face secondary sanctions,” Rubio said.

Rubio also addressed the growing relationship between Beijing and Tehran following a recent visit by Iran’s foreign minister to China.

“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told,” Rubio said. “That what you were doing in the straits is causing you to be globally isolated.”

The secretary of state argued that China’s export-driven economy would also suffer if instability in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global trade flows.

“China is an export-driven economy,” Rubio said. “Well, you can’t buy from them if you can’t ship it there, and you can’t buy from them if your economy is being destroyed by what Iran is doing.”

Rubio said it was in China’s own interest to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait and halt attacks on shipping.

“It is in China’s interest that Iran stop closing the straits,” he said. “It’s harming China as well.”

The briefing also touched on broader US-China tensions ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Rubio said Taiwan would likely remain a topic of discussion between the two leaders.

“I think both countries understand that it is neither one of our interests to see anything destabilise happen in that part of the world,” Rubio said.

IANS