President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed during a White House meeting that the United States should intensify pressure on Iran’s oil exports to China, U.S. officials told the news site Axios. The two leaders committed to pursuing a “maximum pressure” strategy aimed at curbing Iran’s oil sales, particularly because China accounts for more than 80% of Iran’s crude exports—a major source of revenue for Tehran’s government. Reducing that trade, the officials said, could significantly cut Iran’s oil revenue and tighten economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.
The Axios report, cited by Reuters, comes amid continuing diplomatic efforts and high tension between Tehran and Washington. U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks last week through Omani mediators in an attempt to revive diplomacy, even as the U.S. military positions a naval flotilla in the Middle East and prepares for the possibility of prolonged operations against Iran should diplomacy fail.
Chinese authorities have not publicly responded to the reports, with Beijing’s Foreign Ministry declining to comment during China’s Lunar New Year holiday. Any attempt to curtail China’s purchase of Iranian oil could complicate U.S.–China relations, which have been under strain over trade, strategic competition, and regional security issues.
The reported agreement adds to a broader backdrop of economic and geopolitical leverage being used against Iran, with U.S. policy under Trump increasingly focused on squeezing Tehran’s finances and negotiating position over its nuclear programme and regional activities.