U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned this week that Washington is preparing what he called "the biggest coordina...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned this week that Washington is preparing what he called "the biggest coordinated economic isolation in world history" targeting countries that continue trading with Iran, nearly six months into the stalled U.S.-Iran war. The warning puts Turkey directly in the crosshairs. Turkey is the second-largest buyer of Iranian exports after China, with bilateral trade running between $5 and $6 billion annually. Ankara imports Iranian natural gas and exports industrial goods to Tehran, with Iran covering roughly 13% of Turkey's total natural gas imports. China remains the primary target, buying over 80% of Iranian oil. According to data from Kpler, Beijing imported approximately 1.38 million barrels of Iranian crude per day in 2025. Washington has sanctioned some smaller Chinese refineries since the war began but has avoided targeting the major Chinese banks financing that trade. Iran's own central bank governor, Abdolnaser Hemmati, admitted on state television this week that Iranian oil exports have "essentially stopped" under current pressure, a significant acknowledgment of how much damage the campaign has already done. The UAE, previously Iran's largest overall trading partner covering 30% of its imports worth $21 billion in 2024, announced this week it is cutting all economic ties with the Islamic Republic after Tehran allegedly fired two ballistic missiles at Emirati territory. Analysts are skeptical the plan can work without China's cooperation. Paul Musgrave of Georgetown University told Al Jazeera that Trump is trying to impose unilaterally what has historically required multilateral coordination, including Russia, China, and all five permanent UN Security Council members. Analyst Chris Kennedy told Bloomberg Economics that the new threats are also "an admission that U.S. options are running out." The timing complicates things further. Xi Jinping is expected to visit Washington in the coming weeks for his first trip in a decade, and the two countries are holding a fragile trade ceasefire. A full economic crackdown on Iran's trading partners risks triggering Chinese retaliation just before November's midterm elect...