In A Surprise Announcement, Trump Asks China To 'Keep Buying Oil From Iran'
In a sudden twist in Washington's Iran policy, US President Donald Trump made an unexpected announcement shortly after declaring a ceasefire between Iran and Israel after nearly two weeks of air strikes and missile attacks. Heads turned as President Trump urged China to resume its oil purchases from Iran hours after Tehran and Tel Aviv agreed to return to diplomacy in hopes for a peaceful Middle East.
President Trump shared a post on his social media platform Truth Social, which read, "China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the US, also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!"
SUDDEN SHIFT FROM 'MAXIMUM PRESSURE'
The move marks a stark departure from Donald Trump's earlier "maximum pressure" campaign, which sought to isolate Iran through sweeping economic sanctions. His sudden endorsement of oil trade with Tehran has raised eyebrows among analysts and diplomats globally.
China's position as the leading buyer of Iranian oil has served as a crucial lifeline for Tehran as its economy is battered by crippling international sanctions spearheaded by the United States.
OIL EXPORTS, TEHRAN'S LIFELINE
According to analysis firm Kpler, Beijing reportedly buys more than 90 per cent of Iran's oil exports. It imported 1.3 million barrels of Iranian crude oil per day in April, down from a five-month high in March.
As recently as last month the United States had announced fresh sanctions on Iranian oil sales to Beijing, delivering a severe blow to both nations.
MIXED SIGNALS FROM TRUMP
Donald Trump's latest remarks on Iran's political leadership have also added to the mixed signals. "I am not looking for a regime change in Iran. That would lead to chaos," he stated - contradicting some of his own administration's prior rhetoric and policy stance.
This apparent shift in direction is not only reshaping the narrative on US-Iran relations, but also reverberating across global markets and strategic alliances.
These statements by the US President hints at a re-calibration in Washington's approach to Tehran, possibly as part of a broader realignment to counter growing Russian and Chinese influence.
Encouraging China to buy US and Iranian oil could significantly disrupt current market dynamics, affecting pricing and trade flows. Trump's outreach to both Iran and China may be the first step in crafting a new balance of power, with implications for US alliances and global diplomacy.
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Hindustan Times
18 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump rebukes intelligence report raising questions on US 'obliterating' Iran nuke sites: ‘Fake news'
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Mint
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- Mint
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Iran, meanwhile, had been exchanging separate messages with Washington via Arab intermediaries for days. On Saturday evening, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff informed several Arab countries that a U.S. strike on Iran was imminent, Arab officials said. After the attack, at Trump's direction, Witkoff exchanged direct messages with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a senior administration official said. Witkoff told Araghchi that Iran needed to come back to the negotiating table, saying the U.S. could inflict more damage on the country, according to the official. Arab leaders also told Iran it was time to offer concessions to Washington, but Iran's foreign minister responded that Iran wouldn't negotiate under fire and wouldn't abandon its nuclear program, according to Arab officials briefed on the diplomacy. A satellite view of Iran's Fordow complex, an underground nuclear facility that the U.S. struck over the weekend. 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Trump asked the emir whether he would call Iran and ask whether the Iranian government was open to a cease-fire. He obliged, and Iran agreed. Trump—who just hours earlier publicly contemplated regime change in Iran—announced the cease-fire after the calls, posting on social media: 'CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!" A Truth Social post by President Trump announced a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. 'Donald Trump is not a pacifist, but there is an aversion to being drawn into long, drawn-out military engagements," said Michael Wahid Hanna, director of the U.S. program at nonprofit International Crisis Group. 'There is a motivation in doing the things his predecessors failed to do." Diplomats who would normally provide talking points for calls with regional leaders weren't asked for help, U.S. officials said. Instead of a flurry of orders and coordination requests, the National Security Council was effectively dormant. Despite Trump's social-media victory lap, Israel and Iran were still exchanging further blows. Four hours before the cease-fire was set to take effect at 7 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Israel launched a wave of strikes in Tehran, killing hundreds of security-force personnel, Netanyahu said on X. Among the targets was the headquarters of Iran's Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, a defense-ministry research institution, according to the Israeli military. Minutes before the cease-fire deadline, an Iranian missile struck a seven-story residential building in the city of Be'er Sheva, killing four people in one of the deadliest episodes of the war for Israeli civilians. Rescue workers the next day combed through piles of rubble at the site. Three more missiles were fired from Iran after 7 a.m., without causing casualties or damage, according to Netanyahu. Israel threatened further retaliation for the strikes. 'In light of the severe violation of the cease-fire carried out by the Iranian regime, we will respond with force," warned the Israeli military's chief of the general staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. Trump was surprised to learn Tuesday morning that the war hadn't ended. He stepped out on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding a helicopter on his way to a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Europe and rebuked both countries for threatening the cease-fire, especially the U.S.'s closest Middle East ally. 'Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I've never seen before," he said. He wasn't happy with the two nations 'that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f— they're doing." After boarding a helicopter for a short flight to his presidential plane, Trump tapped out an all-caps warning to Israel: 'DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!" Thirty-eight minutes later, after a call with Netanyahu, Trump announced the Israeli warplanes were turning around. 'Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!" Trump posted on social media. President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday that Israeli warplanes would turn around. Netanyahu said Israel destroyed a radar installation near Tehran and, after the call from Trump, refrained from further attacks. Israel had 'achieved all of its objectives for the war," he said. Iran's Supreme National Security Council proclaimed that it had delivered a 'crushing response to every act of hostility by the enemy" and 'shattered the enemy's primary strategic goal." With quiet returning to the Middle East, Trump's attention shifted to the NATO summit, where he will dine with royals and bask in persuading European allies to spend more on their own defense. 'It will be a much calmer period than what I just went through with Israel and Iran," he wrote online. Write to Yaroslav Trofimov at Alexander Ward at Jared Malsin at and Summer Said at
Hans India
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‘Game is not over': Says Iran as US, Israel hunt for near-weapons grade uranium
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