Tehran to enter into a deal: Trump announces sanctions for all buyers of Iranian oil

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding Iran's nuclear program are making no progress. Now Donald Trump is tightening the screws. The US president wants to isolate Iran. Anyone who buys oil from the country should be barred from trade with the US.

Amid negotiations over Iran's controversial nuclear program, US President Donald Trump is massively increasing pressure on Tehran. The US government will immediately impose sanctions on all buyers of Iranian oil, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. Iran's oil customers, whether individuals or countries, will no longer be allowed to do business with the US. China is arguably the largest buyer of Iranian oil.

The US and Iran began talks on a possible new nuclear deal a few weeks ago after years of stalemate. Trump said at a White House meeting that the new sanctions should help put Iran in a position where Tehran would be willing to enter into a deal.

Today, it was announced that the next round of negotiations on the nuclear program between Washington and Tehran will be postponed. The fourth meeting between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, originally scheduled for Saturday in Rome, will be postponed for "logistical reasons," Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi explained on X. Oman is mediating the talks.

However, according to US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, the US expects that there will be further talks in the near future.

USA has already sanctioned companies

Iran is already in a severe economic crisis – not least due to existing sanctions. If the US government actually succeeds in scaring off the remaining buyers of Iranian oil with Trump's new threat of sanctions, it could be economically devastating for Iran.

Just last Wednesday, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on several companies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Iran that Washington claims are involved in the Iranian oil trade. According to the state news agency IRNA, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai strongly condemned the new sanctions and threatened consequences. Whether the new sanctions are the actual reason for the postponement remains unclear.

Iranian journalist Abas Aslani wrote on X that "internal disagreements within the US government" and "changes to the framework established in previous rounds" appeared to be among the reasons for the postponement. According to the pro-government website "Iran Nuances," skepticism is growing in Tehran about how serious the US is about the ongoing nuclear negotiations.

Years of dispute over Iran's nuclear program

In 2015, after lengthy negotiations with its partners—including China, Russia, the United States, France, Germany, and Great Britain—Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in the Vienna Nuclear Agreement. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and imposed new, harsh sanctions. As a result, Tehran also ceased to comply with the terms of the agreement. Trump is now seeking a new deal with the Islamic Republic and has threatened military strikes if no agreement is reached.

The postponement is also likely to disrupt a round of talks between Iranian government members and representatives from Germany, France and Great Britain, which, according to Tehran, had been scheduled for Friday.