Iran has asked the United Nations to condemn and reject the new U.S. sanctions announced this week, turning the dispute into a formal appeal to Antonio Guterres as China said it will not comply with the measures. Abbas Araghchi sent the letter on Wednesday and said the United States is using unilateral coercive steps and secondary sanctions to pressure countries into changing lawful economic ties.
The timing matters because the sanctions were announced on Monday and Washington is already pressing other governments to follow. Last week, President Trump said he expected all countries to get on board, while Scott Bessent told CNBC on Thursday that China should “get with the program.” China answered on Wednesday that it firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its own rights and interests.
Araghchi asked the U.N. to refrain from recognizing, approving or implementing the sanctions, and to call on the United States to stop what he described as threats and coercive actions designed to force countries to alter legitimate economic relations. He also urged the U.N. to monitor the humanitarian impact on the Iranian population and said Iran reserves all available avenues to seek accountability, reparation and redress. In the same letter, he said the Security Council and all members of the United Nations must defend sovereign equality, non-interference and respect for the sovereign rights of states.
The clash is sharper because it goes beyond diplomacy and into trade. China is Iran's largest trade partner, so its refusal to line up behind the sanctions carries more weight than a routine statement of support. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X that Iran welcomes China's principled statement rejecting illegal sanctions against Iran, and he called the Iran-China comprehensive strategic partnership rooted in mutual respect, win-win cooperation and a shared vision for a multipolar world.
There is, however, a friction point that runs through the same week. On Monday, Guterres said Iran must end attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and restore respect for navigational rights and freedoms in the waterway, even as Iran was preparing its complaint to the U.N. and describing U.S. policy as coercion. That leaves the U.N. caught between a demand to police the waterway and a call from Iran to condemn the sanctions and reject them outright.
Iran's next move is already clear: it wants the U.N. to do more than hear the complaint. Whether the Security Council or any other member state follows that request is the unresolved part that now matters most, because the sanctions are live, China has signaled resistance, and Tehran is treating the dispute as one over sovereignty as much as trade.
Separately, IRNA reported on Wednesday that Iran and Russia held constructive discussions in St. Petersburg on advancing gas cooperation, including implementation of an agreement to transfer Russian natural gas to Iran. That meeting, which followed technical talks, points to another route Tehran is using to keep energy ties moving while pressure from the United States tightens.
