&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘We will go full force’: Trump and Netanyahu agree to ramp up ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran’s oil")
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reportedly agreed to intensify economic pressure on Iran to force Tehran give up its nuclear program, and also reduce its oil sales to China. This comes after the two leaders held a meeting in Washington on Wednesday (Feb 11) to discuss Iran.
“We agreed that we will go full force with maximum pressure against Iran, for example, regarding Iranian oil sales to China,” a senior US official told Axios.
According to the report, more than 80 per cent of Iranian oil exports are sent to China. Reducing Beijing’s oil purchases from Iran could significantly increase economic pressure on Tehran. The pressure campaign will take place alongside the talks on Iran’s nuclear program and ongoing US military buildup in the Middle East if negotiations fail.
Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order allowing his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, to recommend that the US president impose tariffs of up to 25 per cent on countries conducting business with Iran.
The report added that while Trump and Netanyahu agreed on ramping up pressure on Iran, they disagreed about the ways to get there. Axios reported, citing a US official, that Trump told Netanyahu that he believes there is a chance to reach a deal with Iran, but the Israeli leader claimed that Tehran will not abide by it even if a deal is signed.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner are set to hold a second round of talks with Iranian officials on Tuesday (Feb 17) in Geneva, where the US officials are expected to receive a response from Iran. “We are sober and realistic about the Iranians. The ball is in their court. If it is not a real deal, we will not take it,” a US official told Axios.
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Meanwhile, Rubio on Saturday (Feb 14) said that Trump is ready to meet Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to resolve issues between the two countries.
