---
title: "US Economic Offensive Against Iran Stalls: Partners Ignore Threats, China Refuses to Back Down"
description: "The US has declared an \"economic offensive\" against Iran, comparing it to Normandy, but China, which buys 90% of Iran's oil, and other Tehran partners are ignoring the sanctions. Analysts call the measures adopted too weak."
date: 2026-08-30T14:28:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/us-economic-offensive-iran-china-ignores-sanctions
tags: [iran, us-sanctions, china, oil, treasury, bessent, middle-east, economy]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# US Economic Offensive Against Iran Stalls: Partners Ignore Threats, China Refuses to Back Down

![Diplomat in a business suit against the backdrop of official talks on US economic sanctions against Iran](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/30/ssha-ekonomicheskoe-nastuplenie-iran-kitay-ignoriruet-sanktsii/ssha-ekonomicheskoe-nastuplenie-iran-kitay-ignoriruet-sanktsii-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the start of tough economic pressure on Iran, comparing the plan to the 1944 Normandy landings
- China, which absorbs about 90% of Iran's oil exports, has warned of its readiness to defend its interests and is not prepared to stop trade with Tehran
- The US announced restrictions on the UAE branches of the Egyptian bank Banque Misr, but analysts consider these measures too weak
- Experts agree that unilateral sanctions cannot "knock out" Iran due to the multipolarity of trade flows

Washington has announced the launch of unprecedented economic pressure on Tehran, yet key regional players have effectively ignored the White House's warnings. The US administration's attempt to stage an "economic offensive" against Iran, a move compared by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent himself to the historic 1944 Normandy landings, has proven largely ineffective. Tehran's partner countries are in no hurry to sever trade ties, while Beijing, which absorbs up to 90% of Iran's oil exports, has already issued a bold warning and is not prepared to retreat. As of the end of August 2026, the war has passed the six-month mark, and the sanctions campaign, it seems, is failing to achieve its stated goals.

### Bessent's "Normandy": Rhetoric vs. Reality

As early as mid-August, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced unprecedented measures against Tehran, comparing the planned operation to the Allied landings in Normandy. Such a historical analogy underscores the scale of the design: it is an attempt to simultaneously "land" several sanctions strikes on various nodes of Iran's financial system. On the weekend, the Treasury Department announced plans to impose restrictions on the UAE branches of the Egyptian bank Banque Misr, which Washington views as a long-standing intermediary for the Iranian regime. The bank is set to be cut off from correspondent relationships with American banks.

### International Response: Silence Instead of Capitulation

However, contrary to Washington's expectations, the reaction from Iran's partners has been minimal. Regional countries continue trade operations with Tehran, showing no willingness to submit to American pressure. Analysts point out that the public actions taken by the Treasury Department this week do not match the hype that accompanied their announcement. Former US Treasury official Alex Zerden stated plainly: "As the war passes the six-month mark, the public actions taken by the Treasury Department this week do not match the hype." Thus, the gap between rhetoric and actual steps remains significant.

### The Chinese Dilemma: 90% of Oil and the Threat of a Financial System Blowup

The main dilemma for the US administration remains Beijing's position. Any truly effective sanctions campaign must hit China, which currently buys about 90% of Iran's oil. However, China has already issued Washington a clear warning of its readiness to defend its interests and is not prepared to back down from trade with Tehran. Leland Miller, CEO of the China Beige Book data platform, emphasized: "You cannot allow a substantive economic war against Iran while ignoring the single country that absorbs 90% of its oil exports." Experts warn that any attempt to pressure Chinese financial institutions is fraught with powerful countermeasures and risks destabilizing the entire global financial system.

### Expert Verdict: A Knockout via Unilateral Measures Is Impossible

Geopolitical and economic specialists agree that an attempt to "knock out" Iran through unilateral restrictions will not yield results. Stephen Fallon, Chief Advisor at DBM Consulting, stated: "The idea that Iran can be knocked out in this way is absurd — it will not move the needle. There are too many participants, and it over-rewards the people involved." In his words, the multipolarity of trade flows and the involvement of numerous intermediaries make a unilateral sanctions policy structurally ineffective.

### Contradictory Data

The provided sources show a certain inconsistency in assessing the scale of the measures adopted. On the one hand, official Washington presents the announcement as the start of an "unprecedented" economic offensive, comparing it to Normandy. On the other hand, independent analysts and former Treasury officials characterize the steps actually implemented (restrictions on the UAE branches of Banque Misr) as "too weak" and inconsistent with the stated hype. Moreover, the sources lack a single precise date for the start of the sanctions campaign: Bessent announced the measures "in mid-August," while the specific restrictions on the bank were declared "at the end of the week," creating chronological ambiguity. The gap between the rhetorical scale ("Normandy") and the actual volume of restrictions (one bank in one jurisdiction) remains the main contradiction in the presentation of the information.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [World Ignores New US Threats and Continues Trade with Iran, - Bloomberg](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/svit-ignorue-novi-pogrozi-ssha-ta-prodovzhue-1788098658.html) - Подтверждает игнорирование угроз США партнёрами Ирана, цитирует аналитиков о слабости мер, упоминает 90% нефти и цитату Лиланда Миллера
- [China Warns It Will Defend Its Interests in Response to New US Sanctions Against Iran](https://unn.ua/ru/news/kitai-predupredil-chto-budet-zashchishchat-svoi-interesi-v-otvet-na-novie-sanktsii-ssha-protiv-irana) - Подтверждает позицию Пекина о защите интересов в контексте санкций против Ирана
- [Can Trump Turn Iran into an "Economic Outcast"?](https://www.rbc.ru/politics/25/08/2026/6a8d84479a79470d126bceb2) - Подтверждает контекст санкционной кампании и оценку её эффективности, дата публикации 25.08.2026
- [US Sanctions Pressure on Iran: Where Are the Limits of Trump's Capabilities?](https://actualcomment.ru/sanktsionnoe-davlenie-ssha-na-iran-gde-predel-vozmozhnostey-trampa-2608211212.html) - Подтверждает анализ пределов санкционного давления, цитирует Стивена Феллона и Алекса Зердена

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did the US announce as part of the "economic offensive" against Iran?
**A:** The US Treasury Department announced plans to impose restrictions on the UAE branches of the Egyptian bank Banque Misr, limiting its access to correspondent relationships with American banks. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent compared this operation to the 1944 Normandy landings.

### Q: Why are US sanctions not achieving their stated goals?
**A:** The key reason is China's position: it buys about 90% of Iran's oil and is not prepared to stop trade with Tehran. In addition, other Iranian partners are ignoring Washington's threats. Experts point out that the measures adopted (restrictions on a single bank) do not match the rhetorical scale of the announced campaign.

### Q: What is China's position on US sanctions against Iran?
**A:** Beijing has issued Washington a clear warning of its readiness to defend its interests. China is not prepared to back down from trade with Tehran, as it absorbs up to 90% of Iran's oil exports. Experts warn that pressure on Chinese financial institutions could trigger countermeasures that threaten the global financial system.

### Q: What do experts say about the prospects of "knocking out" Iran with sanctions?
**A:** Stephen Fallon, Chief Advisor at DBM Consulting, called the idea of knocking out Iran through unilateral restrictions "absurd," pointing to the too-large number of participants in trade flows. Former Treasury official Alex Zerden noted that the actual actions do not match the hype of the announcements.