China 'Willing to Play Ball' with US on Iran’s Economic Isolation: Vance Says Beijing 'More Responsible' Than Tehran

Washington, DC: US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday (local time) said that China is “willing to play ball” with Washington on efforts to economically isolate Iran, describing Beijing as “much more responsible” than Tehran despite differences between the United States and China.

Speaking during a media briefing at the White House, Vance was asked whether the US-led “Operation Economic Outcast", announced to economically isolate the Islamic Republic, could succeed without China joining efforts to isolate Iran economically. “First of all, I think the Chinese, the PRC, [are] being willing to play ball here,” Vance said, referring to the Chinese government.

He acknowledged that Washington and Beijing continue to have “some policy disagreements” and “misalignment of interests”, but said US President Donald Trump maintains a good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Say what you will about them... they are not the sort of nation that shoots at commercial shipping because they're not getting their way in an international dispute,” Vance said, referring to Iran's attacks on commercial shipping.

“They [Chinese] are, in that way, I think, willing to be a little bit more responsible,” he added. Vance, however, clarified that this did not mean China was complying with every request from Washington. “Again, I'm not saying they're doing everything that we've asked them to do. But I think that the PRC has been much more responsible, certainly than the Iranians, and much more responsible than a couple of other nations as well,” he said.

Vance also pointed to cooperation from several other countries, saying nations including Türkiye, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states were taking steps to help Washington ensure that Iran faces consequences for attacks on commercial shipping.

“A lot of countries, sometimes they're not willing to say so publicly but privately they're doing a lot of good things to help us ensure that the Iranians pay a penalty for firing at commercial shipping,” Vance said. He added that the US campaign was not only aimed at protecting commercial shipping and maintaining global energy supplies but also at preventing Iran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities.

“We're protecting commercial shipping, we're protecting world energy markets, but it's all in the service, all in the service of ensuring that Iran does not become a nuclear weapons power,” Vance said. The remarks came after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” last month, describing it as an intensified campaign to cut Iran off from international financial networks and restrict revenue streams that Washington says support the Iranian government.

“The US Department of the Treasury has launched Operation Economic Outcast, an unprecedented campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its neighbours,” Bessent said while announcing the initiative. “Our goal is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime,” he said.

According to Bessent, the Treasury had identified networks allegedly used by Iran to move oil and circumvent US sanctions. The department also expanded categories of Iran-related conduct that could potentially face sanctions, including activities involving digital assets, technology and shipping.

Bessent said Iran faced “a clear choice" between “complete global isolation and a subsistence economy” and “a path to normalcy with the opportunity to rejoin the global economy.” Vance's comments also come amid heightened US focus on keeping commercial shipping and energy supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia conflict. He has repeatedly argued that Washington's efforts to protect commercial vessels are necessary to prevent a wider global energy crisis.

The US administration has maintained that its economic and military pressure on Iran is intended to protect international shipping, stabilise global energy markets and constrain Tehran's ability to rebuild its nuclear capabilities. 

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