China firmly opposes illegal unilateral sanctions without a basis in international law and without authorization from the United Nations Security Council, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

Lin made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a question about US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's announcement of a new round of sanctions aimed at Iran's "economic isolation" to further increase pressure on Iran.

"An economic war and maximum pressure will not help resolve the issue. They will only further intensify contradictions and conflicts, cause risks to spill over, disrupt the global economic and financial order, and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries," Lin said.

Lin stressed that the pressing priority is to cool down the situation and return to the track of dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, adding that China's cooperation with Iran has always been carried out within the framework of international law and should not be disrupted or undermined.

"China is closely following the relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests," Lin noted.