Trump and Netanyahu agree to increase pressure on Iranian oil, with China as the main target
During a meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to increase economic pressure on Iran. According to US officials, the main focus is on restricting Iranian oil sales to China.
More than 80 per cent of Iranian oil exports go to the Chinese market. Washington expects that reducing these supplies will significantly affect Tehran's revenues and may change its position in negotiations on the nuclear programme.
According to a senior US administration official, the parties have agreed to exert maximum pressure. The sanctions campaign will run parallel to the nuclear negotiations and the build-up of US military presence in the Middle East in case diplomacy fails.
Ten days ago, Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing for the expansion of economic restrictions against Iran. The document gives the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce the right to recommend tariffs of up to 25 per cent on any country that does business with Iran. If such measures are applied against China, this could complicate the already tense relations between Washington and Beijing, given the issues of strategic material supplies and preparations for the summit in April.
At the same time, Trump and Netanyahu have disagreed on how to achieve the ultimate goal, which both sides describe as preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. According to American sources, the Israeli prime minister is sceptical about the possibility of reaching an effective agreement with Tehran and doubts that it will be honoured. Trump, on the other hand, said that there is a chance for an agreement and called for an attempt to be made.
The president also discussed the prospects of an agreement with his advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They acknowledged that historically it has been difficult to reach a quality agreement with Iran, but noted that Tehran is currently making statements in the right tone. The advisers promised to negotiate toughly and present the president with a possible agreement for a final decision.
On Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner plan to meet with the Iranian side in Geneva for the second round of negotiations. Earlier, American signals were conveyed to Tehran through the Omani foreign minister. The US is awaiting a response during the Swiss meeting.
Iranian journalist Ali Golhaki reported that the US allegedly offered to suspend uranium enrichment for three or five years and remove 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from the country. According to him, this proposal was rejected. An American official denied that such an initiative had been officially communicated to the Iranian side.
