China · updated 57m ago · 2 min read
China Opposes US Sanctions On Iranian Airlines As Trump Seeks Shutdown
China calls US sanctions on Iranian airlines illegal, opposes unilateral actions lacking UN approval. Bessent warned all Iranian airlines will be shut down worldwide from Sept 23.
Whether coverage includes specific airline cancellations.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: turkish Airlines cancelled flights to Iran until March 2027..
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Türkiye Today
“Turkish Airlines and budget carriers AJet and Pegasus have canceled all flights to and from Iran starting September 21”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera
“The warning is aimed not just at the airlines themselves, but at the airports, fuel suppliers, ticketing companies and other businesses they rely on”Read the original ↗
Türkiye Today stresses flight cancellations and timelines, while others focus on the US threat and China’s denunciation.
Beijing calls sanctions illegal
China opposed what it called “illegal” US sanctions on Iranian airlines, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun saying at a news conference, “China consistently opposes illegal unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law or authorisation from the UN Security Council,”. Scott Bessent told CNBC that “all the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world” within days, as the Trump administration sought to increase economic pressure on Tehran.
China’s criticism came ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for Thursday in the US, according to the reporting. The dispute unfolded as the United States imposed sanctions on “all remaining Iranian airlines” that had yet to face such penalties, and the Treasury Department also targeted firms supporting Iran’s aviation sector, including firms based outside Iran.
Secondary sanctions threaten services
Scott Bessent warned that if Iranian aircraft land, companies providing services would be “knocked out of the dollar system,” telling CNBC, “If they land, you cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets or you will be knocked out of the dollar system,”. Al Jazeera reported that the warning aimed not just at the airlines themselves but at airports, fuel suppliers, ticketing companies and other businesses they rely on to operate abroad.A
The Jerusalem Post said Bessent announced that foreign companies continuing to provide services to Iranian airlines would risk US secondary sanctions starting on Wednesday, and it quoted him saying, “On September 23, all Iranian airlines will be grounded globally,”. Turkiye Today reported that Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus canceled all flights to and from Iran starting September 21, and it said Turkish Airlines had no flights scheduled to Iran before March 2027.
China weighs impact on talks
China’s opposition to the sanctions was reiterated in response to Bessent’s warnings about the suspension of Iranian airlines’ operations, with Guo Jiakun telling a news conference that China had always opposed unilateral and illegal sanctions lacking UN Security Council authorization. The reporting tied Bessent’s comments to his meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for economic talks, which laid the groundwork for the meeting between the two countries’ leaders this week.
Al Jazeera said Bessent told CNBC that Chinese officials had been “very engaged” in the US pressure campaign, and it described Washington holding what Bessent called positive talks with Chinese financial authorities. AGulf News said Iran Air vowed to keep a Najaf route, and it reported that Iran Air’s public relations department said the services would operate according to the previously published timetable despite the US sanctions threat.