U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened sanctions on anyone who buys Iranian oil, a warning that came after planned talks over Tehranโs rapidly advancing nuclear program were postponed.
Trump wrote on social media, โAll purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!โ He said any country or person who buys those products from Iran will not be able to do business with the United States โin any way, shape, or form.โ
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 โ Iranโs leading customer โ at a time when the relationship is severely strained over the U.S. presidentโs tariffs.
Based on tanker tracking data, the U.S. Energy Information Administration concluded in a report published last October that โChina took nearly 90% of Iranโs crude oil and condensate exports in 2023.โ Trump has separately placed 145% tariffs on China as a way to raise federal revenues and rebalance global trade.
Trumpโs social media threat came 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.
โFor logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday May 3rd,โ he wrote. โNew dates will be announced when mutually agreed.โ
Al-Busaidi, who has mediated the talks through three rounds so far, did not elaborate.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Iranโs Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei issued a statement describing the talks as being โpostponed at the request of Omanโs foreign minister.โ He said Iran remain committed to reaching โa fair and lasting agreement.โ
Meanwhile, a person familiar with the U.S. negotiators said America โhad never confirmed its participationโ in a fourth round of talks in Rome. However, the person said the U.S. expected the talks to occur โin the near future.โ 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 Iranโs nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some 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 Iranโs program if a deal isnโt 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 on social media would be going after Iranโs 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.
Iranโs 2015 nuclear deal with world powers did limit Tehranโs 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 the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues an airstrike campaign, called โOperation Rough Rider,โ that has been targeting Yemenโs Houthi rebels, who long have been backed by Iran. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth early Thursday warned Iran over the rebels.
โMessage to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,โ he wrote. โYou know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of โ and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.โ
Last Saturdayโs 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.
Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
About The Author
