Pakistan says it won’t comply with US sanctions on Iran

Pakistan declared on Thursday that it does not consider itself bound by US unilateral sanctions on Iran, joining China in openly defying Washington's campaign to economically isolate Tehran. The rejections from two of Iran's key partners deal a blow to the Trump administration's "Operation Economic Outcast," launched earlier this week to sever every economic lifeline to the Iranian regime.

Pakistan Refuses to Comply

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters at his weekly briefing in Islamabad that Pakistan has "consistently rejected unilateral measures and does not accept unilateral sanctions" under international law. He added that Islamabad remains committed to continuing trade with Iran in accordance with bilateral agreements, and that there is "a desire to expand" commercial ties between the two neighbors.middleeasteye+1

According to Bloomberg, Andrabi said Pakistan is not "obliged to" comply with sanctions unless they are imposed by the United Nations. He described the economic pressure on Iran as part of a broader confrontation between Tehran and Washington that should be resolved through diplomacy.bloomberg+1

Andrabi also dismissed speculation that Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran as an envoy of Donald Trump, saying the trip was conducted within the framework of bilateral relations and regional diplomacy.atlaspress

China Maintains Defiance

China rejected the new US sanctions days before Pakistan's announcement. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on August 25 that Beijing was "firmly opposed" to what it called "illegal unilateral sanctions" and would take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its rights, according to the BBC. Lin added that cooperation between China and Iran "has always been conducted within the framework of international law".ittefaq+1

China purchases up to 90 percent of Iranian oil exports, making it Tehran's most important economic partner. The initial US sanctions package targeted 60 smaller entities, individuals, and vessels but stopped short of sanctioning major Chinese banks — a decision analysts attribute to the planned Trump-Xi summit scheduled for September 24 in Washington.ittefaq

Washington's Escalating Pressure

The Trump administration launched Operation Economic Outcast on August 24 (it was formally unveiled on Monday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who described it as an "economic D-Day" against Tehran). The White House said the campaign's objective is to "sever every economic lifeline sustaining the Islamic Republic of Iran". New sectoral sanctions target Iran's digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping sectors, and authorize penalties against any person worldwide operating in those sectors of the Iranian economy.bankingnews+3

Bessent warned that "no one was above the reach of US sanctions," including Chinese banks. Yet the open defiance from Pakistan and China — two nuclear-armed states with deep economic ties to Iran — underscores the limits of Washington's ability to enforce compliance through secondary sanctions alone. With both Beijing and Islamabad framing the issue as a matter of sovereignty and international law, the administration faces a widening gap between its maximalist rhetoric and the cooperation it can actually command.ittefaq