China said on Friday the new sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran can only make the Iranian nuclear issue complicated.

"When the international community and Iran are devoted to resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogues, it can only make the issue complicated to impose new sanctions on Iran," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in response to a journalist's question.

The United States announced on Thursday that it is imposing new sanctions on Iran on the charges that Tehran supports terrorism in the Middle East, exports missiles and is engaged in a nuclear buildup.

The sanctions are believed to be the toughest Washington has levied against Iran since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2007)