China and Germany Defend Their Trade Relations with Iran

China and Germany defended their trade relations with Iran in response to a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that any company or government trading with the Islamic Republic would be barred from the U.S. market. Meanwhile, according to the official website of Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic is 'not at all worried' about the re-imposition of sanctions: 'They should not be worried about our situation at all.' Donald Trump, who officially withdrew from the JCPOA last May, implemented sanctions against Iran starting Tuesday and warned on the same day: 'Anyone who does business with Iran will not do business with the United States.' According to Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to this message on Wednesday, August 8, stating that 'China has always opposed unilateral sanctions and interference... in the affairs of other countries.' The statement continued: 'China's trade cooperation with Iran is open and transparent, reasonable, fair, and legal, and does not violate any UN Security Council resolutions.' The statement also emphasized that 'China's legal rights must be protected.' China, one of Iran's largest trading partners, has been investing billions of dollars in its projects in Iran since the previous sanctions against the Islamic Republic were lifted, with Chinese companies entering all economic sectors in Iran in recent years, from railway construction to hospitals. According to Reuters, the German government also stated after Trump's warning that the U.S. sanctions against Iran, which have extraterritorial effects, violate international law and expects Washington to consider the interests of European countries when imposing such sanctions. In this context, Heiko Maas, the German Foreign Minister, warned on Wednesday that Trump’s decision to reinstate sanctions against Iran could further destabilize the Middle East and strengthen extremist forces in the region. Maas stated in an interview with the 'Passauer Neue Presse' newspaper: 'We still think that abandoning the nuclear agreement with Iran is a mistake. We are fighting to [maintain] this agreement, as it helps our goal of creating security and transparency in the region.' On the same day, Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister of Italy, also expressed in a press conference in Rome that the Italian government hopes the U.S. will coordinate any actions regarding the new sanctions against Iran with the European Union. Conte also mentioned that his country is awaiting security information from the U.S. regarding Iran's nuclear program, stating: 'I did not take a clear position in my meeting with Donald Trump. I said if it is proven that the nuclear agreement has not been effective, we are ready to evaluate taking a firmer stance.' The U.S. President described the new sanctions against Iran as 'the most biting' sanctions, and several Iranian officials have spoken about the severe impact of these sanctions on Iran's economy, but Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated in a message posted on his website on Wednesday that he is not worried about these sanctions. According to Khamenei's website, he recently told a group of 'cultural activists from abroad' regarding U.S. pressures on Iran: 'They should not be worried about our situation at all; no one can do anything, rest assured, there is no doubt about this; tell everyone this.'