US President Donald Trump said he would impose secondary sanctions on nations or companies buying Iranian oil, ratcheting up pressure on Tehran as nuclear talks with the US hit a snag.
“Any Country or person who buys ANY AMOUNT of OIL or PETROCHEMICALS from Iran will be subject to, immediately, Secondary Sanctions,” Trump said in a Thursday post on social media, without providing further details on the measures. “They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form.”
Trump has vowed to put “maximum pressure” on Iran as part of the administration’s strategy to prevent the Middle Eastern nation from acquiring nuclear weapons. The latest comments came a day after the US administration sanctioned seven entities it accused of trading Iranian oil.
The negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program are facing fresh uncertainty after a meeting set to take place this weekend was postponed and US officials said they had never agreed to join the latest round in the first place.
Oman’s foreign minister said on X that a new round of talks between US and Iranian officials scheduled on Saturday will be pushed back due to “logistical reasons.” “New dates will be announced when mutually agreed,” said Badr Albusaidi, whose government is facilitating the negotiations.
But a spokesperson for President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the US never announced that a meeting was set to take place this weekend. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Thursday that despite some reports, the US “was never confirmed to be participating in a fourth round of talks with Iran.”
“I would say this is a fluid situation,” Bruce added. “But we expect another round of talks will take place in the near future.”
Iranian state media reported on Thursday that the talks were rescheduled at the request of Oman, citing a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, who said the next possible dates will be announced later.