U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that sanctions would be imposed on any entity purchasing Iranian oil, a threat that followed the postponement of planned talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
“All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!” Trump wrote on social media. He said any country or person who buys those products from Iran will not be able to do business with the U.S. “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 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 separately placed 145% tariffs on China as a way to raise federal revenues and rebalance global trade.
Trump’s threat came after Oman announced that 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 are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,” he wrote. “New dates will be announced when mutually agreed.”
Al-Busaidi, who has mediated the talks through three rounds so far, did not elaborate.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei issued a statement describing the talks as being “postponed at the request of Oman’s foreign minister.” He said Iran remain committed to reaching “a fair and lasting agreement.”
Meanwhile, a person familiar with the U.S. negotiators said America “had never confirmed its participation” in a fourth round of talks in Rome. However, the person said the U.S. expected the talks to occur “in the near future.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
Rome will see the Vatican begin its conclave next week to pick a 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 some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Tehran 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 could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
The U.S. president with his threat would be going after Iran’s major economic resource. It produced an average of 2.9 million barrels a day in 2023 of crude oil, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers did limit Tehran’s program. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018, setting in motion years of attacks and tensions. The wider Middle East also remains on edge over Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues an airstrike campaign, called “Operation Rough Rider,” that has been targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have long 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 know exactly what you are doing,” he wrote. “You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of – and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.”
Last Saturday’s round of talks, which included experts drilling down into the details of a possible deal, also took place as an explosion rocked an Iranian port, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 1,000 others.
