Trump threatens Iran oil sanctions after indirect talks postponed

Washington: US President Donald Trump has reissued threats against Iran, stating that any individual or nation purchasing oil or petrochemicals from the country will face immediate US sanctions. His remarks come after the postponement of indirect negotiations between the two nations.

"All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW! Any Country or person who buys ANY AMOUNT of OIL or PETROCHEMICALS from Iran will be subject to, immediately, Secondary Sanctions," Trump wrote on Thursday on Truth Social.

"They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form. Thank you for your attention to this matter," he added.

Since taking office in January, Trump has pursued what he terms a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, intensifying sanctions on oil exports and issuing threats of military action, according to Xinhua news agency.

Trump's remarks followed a statement from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, who announced on Thursday that the fourth round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S., originally set for Saturday in Rome, had been postponed at the suggestion of mediator Oman.

Baghaei reaffirmed Iran's determination to use diplomacy to safeguard the nation's "legitimate and legal" interests and to end the sanctions and economic pressure against Iran.

Earlier in the day, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi announced on social media platform X that the fourth round of the Iran-US talks scheduled for Saturday had been postponed for "logistical reasons", adding, "New dates will be announced when mutually agreed."

"For logistical reasons we are rescheduling the US-Iran meeting provisionally planned for Saturday, May 3," he wrote.

"New dates will be announced when mutually agreed."

The discussions aim to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for easing the extensive economic sanctions imposed by the US, marking nearly half a century of strained relations.

Trump’s latest social media warning targets Iran’s primary economic asset—its crude oil production, which averaged 2.9 million barrels per day in 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers did limit Tehran's programme. 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 US continues an airstrike campaign, called "Operation Rough Rider", that has been targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels, who long have been backed by Iran. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on early Thursday warned Iran over the rebels.

"Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing," he wrote.

"You know very well what the US Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."

Last Saturday's 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.