Days before a key summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, the US has imposed new sanctions on a number of Chinese companies over their ties to Iran.
On Friday, the State Department sanctioned four companies, three of them based in China, for providing satellite imagery that it said enabled Iran to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department on Friday named 10 individuals and companies, including several based in China, for helping Iran secure weapons and materials needed to make ballistic missiles and drones.
“Today’s actions hold China-based companies accountable for supporting Iran,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Friday. “The United States is free to take any actions necessary to target third-party organizations and individuals that support Iran’s military and defense industrial base.”
The United States recently imposed sanctions on several Chinese refineries over purchases of Iranian oil, sparking a backlash from China, which ordered the companies not to comply.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently stated that it opposes “unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law” and will protect the rights of Chinese citizens and businesses.
President Trump is scheduled to visit China next week.
