U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened sanctions on anyone who buys Iranian oil, a warning that got here after planned talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program were postponed.
Trump wrote on social media, “All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!” He said any country or one who buys those products from Iran won’t find a way to do business with the USA “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 connection is severely strained over the U.S. president’s tariffs.
Based on tanker tracking data, the U.S. Energy Information Administration concluded in a report published last October that “China took nearly 90% of Iran’s crude oil and condensate exports in 2023.” Trump has individually placed 145% tariffs on China as a option to raise federal revenues and rebalance global trade.
Trump’s social media threat got here 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 the social platform X.
“For logistical reasons we’re rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May third,” he wrote. “Latest dates shall be announced when mutually agreed.”
Al-Busaidi, who has mediated the talks through three rounds up to now, didn’t elaborate.
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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei issued an announcement describing the talks as being “postponed on the request of Oman’s foreign minister.” He said Iran remain committed to reaching ”a good and lasting agreement.”
Meanwhile, an individual conversant in the U.S. negotiators said America “had never confirmed its participation” in a fourth round of talks in Rome. Nonetheless, the person said the U.S. expected the talks to occur “within the near future.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity to debate the closed-door negotiations.
Rome will see the Vatican begin its conclave next week to choose a brand new pope after the death of Pope Francis. Two other rounds of U.S.-Iran talks have been held in Muscat, the capital of Oman.
The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of a few of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on a half-century of enmity. The negotiations have been led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they might pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to close weapons-grade levels.
The U.S. president together with his threat on social media can be going after Iran’s major economic resource. It produced a median of two.9 million barrels a day in 2023 of crude oil, in accordance with the Energy Information Administration.
Iran’s 2015 nuclear take care of world powers did limit Tehran’s program. Nonetheless, Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018, setting in motion years of attacks and tensions. The broader Middle East also stays on edge over the Israel-Hamas war within the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues an airstrike campaign, called “Operation Rough Rider,” that has been targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who long have been backed by Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth early Thursday warned Iran over the rebels.
“Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We all know exactly what you might be doing,” he wrote. “You realize thoroughly what the U.S. Military is able to — and also you were warned. You pays the CONSEQUENCE on the time and place of our selecting.”
Last Saturday’s round of talks, which included experts drilling down into the main points of a possible deal, also took place as an explosion rocked an Iranian port, killing at the very least 70 people and injuring greater than 1,000 others.
Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
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