HIBAPRESS
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed that the United States will increase economic pressure on Iran, particularly with regard to oil sales to China, according to US officials familiar with the matter, speaking to the news site "Axios".
Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House on Wednesday to discuss escalating tensions with Iran, amid concerns that Washington would launch military attacks against it, but it appears that the "expected war" is heading in another direction. Iran exports more than 80 percent of its oil to China, and if the latter reduces its purchases of Iranian oil, economic pressure on Tehran will increase significantly. If the American-Israeli plan is implemented, this may change Iran's calculations and push it to make further concessions on its nuclear program during negotiations with the United States. US officials say that the maximum pressure campaign will be implemented in conjunction with negotiations with Iran and the ongoing military build-up in the Middle East, in preparation for possible strikes in the event of the failure of diplomatic negotiations. A senior US official told "Axios": "We agreed that we will use the maximum possible force in pressuring Iran, for example, with regard to its oil sales to China." Days ago, Trump signed an executive order that would allow for increased economic pressure on Iran, granting the US Secretaries of State and Commerce the authority to recommend to the president to impose customs duties of up to 25 percent on any country that trades with Tehran. But in return, any customs duties on China for its purchase of Iranian oil will further complicate already strained relations, as the United States seeks to maintain the flow of vital rare earth elements and protect the Beijing summit scheduled for next April. While Iran is a major oil producer, markets are more concerned about regional unrest in the event that Tehran takes measures to cut off the flow of oil from other countries. US officials stated that Trump and Netanyahu agreed in their meeting on the ultimate desired goal, which is "an Iran unable to possess nuclear weapons," but they differed on how to achieve that. A US official said that Netanyahu told Trump that it was impossible to reach a good agreement with Iran, claiming that "even if an agreement is signed, Iran will not abide by it." The US official added that "Trump replied to Netanyahu that he believes there is a chance to reach an agreement, and told him: we will see if that is possible, let's try." (Sky News)
