Washington Turns Iran Sanctions Into a China Oil-Flow Loyalty Test

The U.S. and Iran traded warnings before a planned Monday sanctions announcement by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Reuters, AP and Bloomberg report that Washington is preparing a wider secondary-sanctions push that could reach Iran’s remaining trading partners, including China, while Strait of Hormuz oil flows remain heavily constrained. The Pattern Nexus read: this is no longer just Iran policy; it is a wartime test of U.S. financial enforcement against energy flows that Asia still needs.