US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened sanctions on anyone who buys Iranian oil, a warning that came after planned talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme were postponed.
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Trump wrote on social media, “All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!” He said any country or person who buys those products from Iran will not be able to do business with the United States “in any way, shape, or form”.
It was unclear how Trump would implement such a ban as he threatened to levy secondary sanctions on nations that import Iranian oil. But his statement risked further escalating tensions with China – Iran’s leading customer – at a time when the relationship is severely strained over the US president’s tariffs.
Based on tanker tracking data, the US Energy Information Administration concluded in a report published last October that “China took nearly 90 per cent of Iran’s crude oil and condensate exports in 2023”. Trump has separately placed 145 per cent tariffs on China as a way to raise federal revenues and rebalance global trade.
Trump’s social media threat came after Oman announced planned nuclear negotiations for this coming weekend had been postponed. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi made the announcement in a post on social platform.
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“For logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,” he wrote. “New dates will be announced when mutually agreed.”
