The United Nations Security Council has neither prohibited any country to do oil trade with Iran, nor banned normal financial cooperation with it. Washington's "long arm jurisdiction" has the nature of extraterritoriality and it intends to pursue international hegemony and power politics in accordance with its domestic law, says an article in the People's Daily. Excerpts:

The US government on July 28 imposed sanctions on the Bank of Kunlun and an Iraqi bank, blaming them for helping Iran evade international sanctions on its oil exports.

In order to contain its strategic adversary, the US not only imposed a variety of unilateral sanctions, but also tried to impose such unilateral sanctions on third countries, hindering normal economic and trade exchanges. By using its special status in the international financial system, the US tries to "issue orders" to other countries' economic and financial entities in accordance with its domestic law.

China and Iran have a normal state-to-state relationship and their normal, open and transparent business cooperation in energy and trade is unrelated to Iran’s nuclear program. The cooperation neither violates any resolution of the UN Security Council nor harms the interests of any third party.

According to the White House, the sanction is not targeted at China. However, it is a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure. The US side imposing sanctions, in accordance with its domestic law, on a Chinese financial institution has severely impaired the interests of the Chinese side and damaged ties between the two nations. The US should correct its erroneous decision, lift the unprovoked sanction against the Bank of Kunlun and stop harming Chinese interests and Sino-US relations.

In fact, China has a consistent and clear position on the issue of non-proliferation, firmly maintains the principles of the international non-proliferation system and commits itself with relevant parties including the US to solve the Iranian nuclear issue.

Exerting pressure and imposing sanctions will not help fundamentally solve the Iranian nuclear issue, and dialogue and communication is the only solution. China, together with all parties, has been playing a constructive role in promoting a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

The US' unilateral action to impose sanctions on Chinese companies and banks will not facilitate the unity of the international non-proliferation regime and is bound to undermine the basis for coordinated international efforts on the Iranian nuclear issue.

The US side should understand that it can hardly "do everything all by itself" in the international arena. Washington is too overbearing in abusing sanctions while dealing with international relations.