China, Germany defend business with Iran
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TEHRAN: China and Germany have defended their business ties with Iran in the face of US President Donald Trump’s warning that any companies trading with the Islamic Republic would be barred from trade with the United States.
The comments from Beijing and Berlin signaled growing anger from partners of the United States, which reimposed strict sanctions against Iran on Tuesday, over US threat to penalize firms from other countries that continue to operate in Iran.
The Chinese foreign ministry said China has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions and long-armed jurisdiction.
The German government said U.S. sanctions against Iran that have an extra-territorial effect violate international law, and Germany expects Washington to consider European interests when coming up with such sanctions.
The reimposition of U.S. sanctions followed Trump’s decision earlier this year to pull out of a 2015 deal to lift the punitive measures in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program designed to prevent it from building an atomic bomb.
Tuesday’s sanctions target Iran’s purchases of U.S. dollars, metals trading, coal, industrial software and the auto sector. (Reuters)
