China urges diplomatic solution after Trump threatens economic war on Iran

China said on Friday that sanctions and pressure would not help resolve the Iran issue, after the United States threatened to wage a full-scale economic war against Tehran.

"Sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. "China calls on relevant parties to act responsibly and resolve the issue through political and diplomatic means."

Lin was responding to a question about US President Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday of what he called the "most crushing economic operation ever" against Iran.