Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at China\u2019s role in U.S. sanctions on Iran, the killing of a former Zambian cabinet member, and a controversial medical exam for imprisoned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.<\/p>\n
\u2018Economic D-Day\u2019<\/p>\n
Senior Iranian leadership warned<\/a> the United States on Friday that any new U.S. threats would be met with \u201ccrushing, punishing, and devastating responses,\u201d just days after the White House announced that it would start targeting Tehran with its \u201cMOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN.\u201d<\/p>\n Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at China\u2019s role in U.S. sanctions on Iran, the killing of a former Zambian cabinet member, and a controversial medical exam for imprisoned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.<\/p>\n \u2018Economic D-Day\u2019<\/p>\n Senior Iranian leadership warned<\/a> the United States on Friday that any new U.S. threats would be met with \u201ccrushing, punishing, and devastating responses,\u201d just days after the White House announced that it would start targeting Tehran with its \u201cMOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN.\u201d<\/p>\n On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any country that \u201callows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences.\u201d This would include cash transfers, oil smuggling operations, and other corporate fronts, Trump wrote<\/a> on Truth Social at the time, calling it \u201cEconomic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has doubled down on Trump\u2019s threats. \u201cYou are either with us or against us,\u201d Bessent told CNBC<\/a> on Thursday. \u201cIt is time for our allies and the rest of the world to make a decision. We are going to squash the economy of this murderous regime.\u201d<\/p>\n The United States has repeatedly criticized its allies, particularly those in NATO, for failing to adequately help the U.S. military defeat Iran. But now, the White House appears to be changing its messaging, warning other countries that they could fall into a similar trap as Iran if they do not comply with Washington\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n \u201cAny remaining tie to Tehran will hasten a nation\u2019s economic oblivion, whether that tie be purposefully constructed or willfully ignored,\u201d Bessent wrote<\/a> on X. The treasury secretary is expected to detail the new sanctions package on Monday.<\/p>\n Bessent called on China specifically to reduce its business ties<\/a> with Iran. Tehran\u2019s ability to weather international sanctions has been partly thanks to its relationship with Beijing, which purchased more than 80 percent of Iran\u2019s shipped oil in 2025, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are confident that everyone wants the Strait [of Hormuz] reopened, and for energy prices to come back down,\u201d Bessent said on Thursday. \u201cKeep \u200bin mind that the Chinese get 50 percent [of their] energy from \u200binside the Gulf, so it would do them a big service to get with the program.\u201d<\/p>\n But China appears unwilling<\/a> to heed the call. \u201cRegarding the \u200bIran issue, sanctions and pressure do not help resolve the problem,\u201d a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said in response to Bessent\u2019s comments. \u201cChina calls on the relevant parties to take responsible actions and resolve the issue through political and diplomatic means.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stressed<\/a> on Friday that Tehran \u201cmust plan for the unjust sanctions so that we can overcome them.\u201d His comments came the same day that Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said that the country\u2019s retaliation could take the form of land, sea, air, or cyberattacks.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Most Read<\/p>\n What We\u2019re Following<\/p>\n Post-election crackdown. Zambian police summoned<\/a> opposition party leader Brian Mundubile and his running mate for questioning late Thursday over alleged national security threats in the wake of Zambia\u2019s disputed presidential election<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema won<\/a> a second five-year term, securing 60 percent of the vote over Mundubile\u2019s 38 percent. While votes were still being counted<\/a> on election night, security forces launched a raid<\/a> on Mundubile\u2019s residence, arresting 11 people that authorities claim were \u201cin possession of high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials for use in armed insurrection.\u201d<\/p>\n In an exchange of gunfire during the operation, opposition party member and former Transportation Minister Mutotwe Kafwaya was fatally shot. Mundubile, who was present during the raid but has since gone into hiding, accused Zambian forces of firing shots in his home in what he described as an attack on his life. Maambo Hamaundu, the permanent secretary of the Zambian Defense Ministry, called these claims a \u201ctotal fabrication<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Rights groups have denounced<\/a> the incident and called for a transparent, independent investigation. \u201cWhile the full circumstances surrounding his [Kafwaya\u2019s] shooting remain unclear, his death follows reports of arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition members during the electoral period,\u201d said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International\u2019s regional director for East and Southern Africa.<\/p>\n Mundubile\u2019s party planned to file a court challenge to the election results, but one expert told Reuters that the arrests of senior party members and the police summons may complicate that effort.<\/p>\n Wrong hospital. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was briefly taken<\/a> to a hospital on Friday before being declared medically fit and returned to prison. The visit was aimed at appeasing concerns that Khan was being tortured \u201crepeatedly\u201d while in prison, a claim that Khan reportedly told his sister during the examination. However, a last-minute change<\/a> in the appointment\u2019s location sparked allegations that the government had violated a Supreme Court order.<\/p>\n Since being imprisoned in 2023, Khan has reported several health concerns<\/a> but has struggled to be assessed by doctors of his choosing. On Tuesday, Pakistan\u2019s highest court ruled<\/a> that Khan must be taken to a private hospital in Islamabad for a comprehensive medical examination by several specialists, including one of his personal physicians. Instead, government authorities brought Khan to a public hospital in the capital on Friday, citing a \u201csecurity situation<\/a>\u201d caused by the presence of his supporters near the private facility.<\/p>\n Khan\u2019s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party vowed<\/a> on Friday to file a contempt petition against the government for its alleged failure to follow the court\u2019s ruling. The party is also expected to argue that the Supreme Court mandated that Khan be kept under medical supervision until at least mid-September, not immediately returned to prison.<\/p>\n Ulchi ends early. U.S. and South Korean forces wrapped up joint Ulchi Freedom Shield drills<\/a> on Friday, a full six days before they were originally scheduled to conclude. Ending early means that the two nations\u2019 militaries only completed part one of the two-phase exercise<\/a>; the first half of Ulchi focused on defensive operations while the second half would have prioritized counteroffensive actions. North Korea had expressed particular concern over the latter portion of the drills.<\/p>\n The annual 11-day exercise<\/a> has long been an opportunity to demonstrate Washington and Seoul\u2019s close military ties and shared agenda regarding security on the Korean Peninsula. However, mere hours into the start of the event on Monday, Trump ordered<\/a> the Defense Department to scale back U.S. involvement, citing his \u201cvery good relationship\u201d with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.<\/p>\n Experts have argued<\/a> that Trump\u2019s actions may have been an effort to convince Kim to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks that broke down in 2019; U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal<\/a> on Tuesday that Trump is pushing for a meeting with Kim as soon as this fall. However, Pyongyang remains unappeased, with Kim\u2019s influential sister Kim Yo Jong warning<\/a> on Wednesday that \u201cthe provocative, aggressive nature of the drills won\u2019t change even though their duration and size were reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n What in the World?<\/p>\n Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said Latin American countries should demonstrate \u201cautonomy\u201d during a meeting with which Latin American leader?<\/p>\n A. Argentine President Javier Milei Odds and Ends<\/p>\n A 26-year-old car salesman has officially joined the Belgian royal family. Local media reported<\/a> on Wednesday that Prince Laurent has established legal ties with Cl\u00e9ment Vandenkerckhove, his adult son, who was born before Laurent\u2019s marriage to Princess Claire and who was not acknowledged as related to him until last year. Vandenkerckhove will hold the title of prince but will not be in the line of succession or have royal duties.<\/p>\n And the Answer Is\u2026<\/p>\n B. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa<\/p>\n Although Noboa is a close Trump ally, his weeklong trip to China shows that Ecuador is still reliant on economic cooperation with Beijing, FP\u2019s Catherine Osborn writes<\/a> in Latin America Brief.<\/p>\n To take the rest of FP\u2019s weekly international news quiz, click here<\/a>, or sign up<\/a> to be alerted when a new one is published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at China\u2019s role in U.S. sanctions on Iran, the killing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[262,855,34,856,8648,8649,509,51474,51,36],"class_list":["post-259517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iran","tag-china","tag-homepage_regional_middle_east_africa","tag-iran","tag-iran-u-s","tag-paywall-free","tag-post-to-buffer","tag-sanctions","tag-u-s-economic-sanctions","tag-united-states","tag-war"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117135381820652248","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
B. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa
C. Venezuelan President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez
D. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum<\/p>\n