China hits back at new US sanctions over Iran
CHINA: Beijing reacted furiously Wednesday to new US sanctions
imposed on a Chinese bank over transactions with Iran, urging Washington
to revoke them and saying it would lodge an official protest.
China's foreign ministry urged the United States to lift the
sanctions on the Bank of Kunlun and stop "damaging China's interests and
Sino-US relations".
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday imposed new economic sanctions
on Iran's oil export sector and on a pair of Chinese and Iraqi banks
accused of doing business with Tehran.
Obama said the new measures underlined the United States'
determination to force Tehran "to meet its international obligations" in
nuclear negotiations, according to a statement released by the White
House.
The US president accused the Bank of Kunlun and the Elaf Islamic Bank
in Iraq of arranging transactions worth millions of dollars with Iranian
banks already under sanctions because of alleged links to Tehran's
weapons program. AFP |