Trump says China can continue to buy Iranian oil
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: China can continue to buy Iranian oil, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday in what appeared to be relief for Tehran from sanctions Washington has previously imposed to punish the trade.
'China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran. Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the U.S., also,' Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform as he travelled to a NATO summit in The Hague.
China's position as the main buyer of Iranian oil has served as a crucial lifeline for Tehran as its economy is battered by crippling international sanctions.
Beijing buys more than 90 percent of Iran's oil exports, according to the analysis firm Kpler.
It imported 1.3 million barrels of Iranian crude oil a day in April, down from a five-month high in March.
Trump says Iran-Israel ceasefire in force
Last month the United States announced fresh sanctions on Iranian oil sales to Beijing, however, as Trump's administration continued its 'maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran.
China has condemned recent US bombing strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and called for parties in the region, 'especially Israel', to de-escalate.
And it has called for a political solution to help a declared ceasefire hold.
But analysts say that the fighting between Israel and Iran has severely reduced Beijing's regional leverage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Early US intel assessment suggests strikes on Iran did not destroy nuclear sites, CNN reports
WASHINGTON: An early U.S. intelligence assessment indicated that the U.S. military strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities last week did not destroy the core components of Tehran's nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing three people briefed on it. Israel says it hit Iranian radar, but refrained from other strikes after Trump call 'This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong,' CNN quoted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
US gives $30m to controversial aid group in Gaza despite violence concerns
Palestinians gather at a food distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on 21 May 2025, as Israel allows a limited amount of aid into the enclave. PHOTO:REUTERS The United States is giving $30 million to a controversial humanitarian group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza, despite concerns among some US officials about the month-old operation and the killing of Palestinians near food distribution sites, according to four sources and a document seen by Reuters. Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) diplomatically, but this is the first known US government financial contribution to the organization. GHF uses private US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites. A document reviewed by Reuters showed that the $30 million grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was authorized on Friday under a "priority directive" from the White House and State Department. The document also noted an initial $7 million disbursement had been made. The United States could approve additional monthly grants of $30 million for the GHF, said two of the sources, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. The White House referred questions to the State Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation declined to comment on the U.S. funding or concerns about the operation. Israel's embassy also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In approving the funding, sources said the State Department exempted the foundation—whose finances have not been publicly disclosed—from an audit usually required for first-time USAID recipients. "Such an audit would normally take many, many weeks if not months," said one source, a former senior US official. GHF was also exempted from additional vetting normally required for groups supplying aid to Gaza—governed by Iran-backed Hamas—to ensure no links to extremism, the sources said. GHF is working with a for-profit logistics firm, Safe Reach Solutions, headed by a former CIA officer, and a security contractor, UG Solutions, which employs armed US military veterans. Violence concerns Reuters reported earlier this month that US ally Israel had asked President Donald Trump's administration to give $500 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Sources said the money would come from USAID, which is being folded into the State Department. Some US officials opposed the funding over concerns about violence near aid distribution sites, GHF's inexperience, and its reliance on for-profit US logistics and private military firms, said the four sources. Since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19—allowing limited UN aid deliveries to resume—the United Nations reports that over 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid from both UN and GHF operations. "The majority of the casualties have been shot or shelled trying to reach US-Israeli distribution sites purposefully set up in militarized zones," said Jonathan Whittall, senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, on Sunday. "Others have been killed when Israeli forces have fired on Palestinian crowds waiting for food along routes," he said. "Some people have also been killed or injured by armed gangs." In response, GHF said on Tuesday it had delivered 40 million meals in Gaza so far. It claimed the UN and other groups were struggling due to looting of trucks and warehouses. A GHF spokesperson stated none of its trucks had been looted: 'Bottom line, our aid is getting securely delivered. Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome the UN and other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza. We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need.' Earlier this month, GHF briefly halted deliveries to press Israel to improve civilian safety near its sites after dozens of Palestinians were killed seeking aid. The group claims there have been no incidents at its own distribution points. The UN has long described its Gaza aid operation as opportunistic—hindered by Israel's military campaign, restricted access, and looting by armed gangs. The UN stresses that when a steady flow of aid is established, looting tends to subside.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Ceasefire?
Listen to article It's ceasefire! Israel and Iran are apparently returning from the brink. A desperate deal doctored by US President Donald Trump is on the cards, primarily meant to save the skin of his allied-ally. To what extent this unassured and fragile understanding will hold is hard to guess, as both the Jewish state and the Islamic republic are not in it by heart. An episode of mutual destruction played for 12 days has cost them their regional reputation, and they are now in a state of utter destruction. The only good point is that the world has been saved from a third world war, and it seems some tactical diplomatic alignment will reshape a new order in the Middle East. Tel Aviv's aggression over Tehran under the aegis of Washington not only exposed its hegemonic designs, but also the gruesomeness of the US to bomb Iranian nuclear installations. As per International Law, both these states must face retribution for violating Iran's sovereignty and, especially, the Trump administration for waging a war without the Congressional approval. The hurried manner in which Trump scaled down from his rhetoric of "destroying" Iran and was desperate to seek cessation of hostilities is a telling tale of the capitulation of a superpower. The lethal Iranian retaliation on US bases in Qatar led to the meltdown, and the fantasy of regime change came crumbling down. Moreover, the security scare to the extent of annihilation that was evident over many of the Gulf States as missiles and jets flew over their territories, coupled with the fear of closure of Strait of Hormuz, led to a rapid rollback. Similarly, the digging of heels by Russia and China to stand with Iran was the writing on the wall for Israel and the US that this misadventure will not be limited to Persia, and could snowball into a major trans-regional catastrophe. Now is the time to get back to the dialogue table and address in a multilateral manner not only the issue of bad blood between the warring sides, but also the nuclear question as well as the Palestinian statehood.
