'You don't know whether I'm sanctioning or not … I don't have to announce everything'

'I hear China is spying on us — we're spying on them too'

US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday (local time). [AP]
US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday (local time). [AP]

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Donald Trump's administration launched what it called an "economic ostracism campaign" against Iran on Monday (local time), imposing secondary sanctions on countries that trade certain goods with Tehran. Trump signaled Thursday that Chinese banks could be next in line.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump responded to a question about whether he would impose secondary sanctions on Chinese banks with a pointed rhetorical question: "Who said I'm not?"

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had announced the "economic ostracism campaign" on Monday, vowing to tighten the financial noose around Iran. At the time, Bessent stopped short of naming China — Iran's largest trading partner — even as Chinese financial institutions were conspicuously absent from the initial sanctions list, saying only that "no one is beyond the reach of US sanctions."

Pressed by reporters Thursday on why Chinese banks had been spared, Trump pushed back. "You don't know whether I'm doing it or not," he said. "I don't have to announce everything — right?"

The remarks were widely read as a warning that secondary sanctions on Chinese banks could follow if Beijing continues trading with Tehran, and as a pressure tactic aimed at ensuring the Iran sanctions regime has real teeth.

AFP said Trump "hinted that his administration could be preparing sanctions targeting Chinese banks on the grounds of their ties to Iran," adding that the comments suggested "US efforts to isolate Iran could escalate significantly."

Trump also appeared to take a swipe at China over cybersecurity, saying: "Someone was talking about China — 'What about China? I hear they're spying on us.' We're spying on them too."

The remarks came a day after the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday that they had detected and disrupted a sweeping cyberattack carried out by hackers linked to Chinese authorities who had concealed the origin of their intrusions. According to the announcement, targets included federal agencies — among them the Justice Department, the Department of Energy and the Department of Health and Human Services — as well as NASA, the Federal Reserve and the Senate. The hackers' clients included the Chinese military and the Ministry of State Security, China's counterintelligence agency.


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