Mahmoud Hakam
4th May 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again warned countries around the world to halt oil purchases from the Iranian regime or face secondary sanctions from Washington. This stark warning reinforces his long-declared objective of cutting the regime’s oil exports to “zero” in order to pressure Tehran into limiting its nuclear ambitions.
Despite ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between the United States and the Iranian regime—held most recently in Muscat and Rome—Washington has continued to impose punitive sanctions. A planned new round of talks has reportedly been delayed due to “logistical and technical reasons.”
On April 30, the U.S. State Department announced a fresh wave of sanctions targeting seven companies involved in the sale of Iranian oil. Four of the sanctioned entities are based in the United Arab Emirates and one in Turkey. These measures fall under Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which was the hallmark of his first presidential term.
In addition to Trump, the Biden administration also targeted the regime’s so-called “dark fleet” — a network of tankers that clandestinely transport Iranian crude oil across international waters. Both administrations have focused on dismantling what they describe as an “international network of companies” assisting the Iranian regime in circumventing sanctions and selling oil illicitly, particularly to China.
Regime Media Echoes Pressure
Reacting to the growing pressure, the state-run Kayhan newspaper, known as the voice of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, criticized Trump’s approach. In a recent editorial titled “182 Sanctions in 100 Days. How Else Should Trump Say He Has No Good Intentions?!”, the paper wrote:
“The Trump administration has imposed a new sanction against [the regime] every 13 hours. Issuing 182 sanctions in just 100 days, while simultaneously sending diplomatic messages, is a clear sign of America’s contradictory and yet explicit approach: maximum pressure, even under the guise of negotiations! Sanctions, each of which is not simply an economic measure, but an attempt to hit the system.”
Sanctions Take Toll on Oil Exports
The Iranian regime, which controls one of the world’s largest oil reserves, exported approximately 1.8 million barrels per day in early 2024, according to S&P Global. However, by January 2025, that figure had dropped to around 1.2 million barrels per day due to the intensifying sanctions.
China remains the largest buyer of Iranian crude, accounting for up to 90% of its oil exports, despite U.S. sanctions. Nevertheless, even Chinese ports have felt the pressure. China’s Shandong Port Oil Terminal recently halted Iranian oil imports in response to sanctions, reducing purchases from 1.48 million barrels per day in December 2024 to just 851,000 in January 2025.
Sanctions Aimed at Nuclear and Militant Activities
Washington’s sanctions policy is not solely driven by nuclear concerns. The United States and several allies have also targeted the regime’s support for groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—organizations Washington designates as terrorist entities.
Sanctions on the Iranian regime began as early as 1979, after the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran. In 2002, after revelations of the regime’s covert nuclear enrichment activities, the U.N., EU, and U.S. intensified efforts to prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. Though Iran’s regime insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the International Atomic Energy Agency has not been able to fully verify those claims.
Although Iran originally signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) under the Shah’s rule in 1968, the current regime, which came to power after the 1979 revolution, has inherited these obligations. While Iran’s regime insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly raised concerns over the lack of transparency and has been unable to fully verify the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
Nevertheless, a series of UN sanctions began in 2006, including bans on weapons and nuclear technology exports to Iran. In 2011, the U.S. expanded sanctions on the oil sector, and in 2012 the EU banned Iranian oil imports entirely.
The JCPOA and Its Unraveling
In 2015, under President Barack Obama, the Iranian regime agreed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), committing to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, in 2018, Trump withdrew from the deal, arguing it failed to curb the regime’s broader destabilizing behavior, and reinstated sweeping sanctions.
This renewed pressure campaign drastically reduced oil exports, which plummeted to 400,000 barrels per day by 2020. Although then-US President Joe Biden initially eased some sanctions to incentivize a return to talks, the Iranian regime’s missile attack on Israel in October 2024 prompted a policy reversal. Biden imposed new sanctions in October and December, targeting regime tankers.
Financial Chokehold
Beyond the oil sector, the U.S. has long worked to sever the Iranian regime from the global financial system. American sanctions prohibit U.S. businesses from trading with the regime and penalize international banks that engage with Iranian entities. Key financial institutions, including the Central Bank of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have been heavily sanctioned.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the “maximum pressure” strategy resulted in a sharp economic downturn. Between 2012 and 2016 alone, the regime lost more than $160 billion in oil revenue. Inflation surged to 54% in 2022 and remained around 30% by the end of 2024. By February 2025, the Iranian rial had fallen to its lowest value in history.
The Dark Fleet and Evasion Tactics
Western analysts and advocacy groups, such as the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), warn that the regime has adapted by creating a “dark fleet” of tankers that operate covertly. These vessels often sail with tracking systems disabled and are registered in jurisdictions that mask ownership. The regime also relies on clandestine banking networks and front companies to facilitate oil sales and move revenue.
Despite Tehran’s claims that U.S. sanctions undermine global oil market stability, Washington remains committed to curbing the regime’s oil revenues as a means of blocking nuclear weapon development and limiting its ability to finance regional proxies.
As indirect negotiations remain stalled and sanctions mount, the Iranian regime faces growing economic and diplomatic isolation—conditions Washington hopes will ultimately compel it to shift course.
irannewsupdate.com
4th May 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again warned countries around the world to halt oil purchases from the Iranian regime or face secondary sanctions from Washington. This stark warning reinforces his long-declared objective of cutting the regime’s oil exports to “zero” in order to pressure Tehran into limiting its nuclear ambitions.
Despite ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between the United States and the Iranian regime—held most recently in Muscat and Rome—Washington has continued to impose punitive sanctions. A planned new round of talks has reportedly been delayed due to “logistical and technical reasons.”
On April 30, the U.S. State Department announced a fresh wave of sanctions targeting seven companies involved in the sale of Iranian oil. Four of the sanctioned entities are based in the United Arab Emirates and one in Turkey. These measures fall under Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which was the hallmark of his first presidential term.
In addition to Trump, the Biden administration also targeted the regime’s so-called “dark fleet” — a network of tankers that clandestinely transport Iranian crude oil across international waters. Both administrations have focused on dismantling what they describe as an “international network of companies” assisting the Iranian regime in circumventing sanctions and selling oil illicitly, particularly to China.
Regime Media Echoes Pressure
Reacting to the growing pressure, the state-run Kayhan newspaper, known as the voice of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, criticized Trump’s approach. In a recent editorial titled “182 Sanctions in 100 Days. How Else Should Trump Say He Has No Good Intentions?!”, the paper wrote:
“The Trump administration has imposed a new sanction against [the regime] every 13 hours. Issuing 182 sanctions in just 100 days, while simultaneously sending diplomatic messages, is a clear sign of America’s contradictory and yet explicit approach: maximum pressure, even under the guise of negotiations! Sanctions, each of which is not simply an economic measure, but an attempt to hit the system.”
Sanctions Take Toll on Oil Exports
The Iranian regime, which controls one of the world’s largest oil reserves, exported approximately 1.8 million barrels per day in early 2024, according to S&P Global. However, by January 2025, that figure had dropped to around 1.2 million barrels per day due to the intensifying sanctions.
China remains the largest buyer of Iranian crude, accounting for up to 90% of its oil exports, despite U.S. sanctions. Nevertheless, even Chinese ports have felt the pressure. China’s Shandong Port Oil Terminal recently halted Iranian oil imports in response to sanctions, reducing purchases from 1.48 million barrels per day in December 2024 to just 851,000 in January 2025.
Sanctions Aimed at Nuclear and Militant Activities
Washington’s sanctions policy is not solely driven by nuclear concerns. The United States and several allies have also targeted the regime’s support for groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—organizations Washington designates as terrorist entities.
Sanctions on the Iranian regime began as early as 1979, after the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran. In 2002, after revelations of the regime’s covert nuclear enrichment activities, the U.N., EU, and U.S. intensified efforts to prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. Though Iran’s regime insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the International Atomic Energy Agency has not been able to fully verify those claims.
Although Iran originally signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) under the Shah’s rule in 1968, the current regime, which came to power after the 1979 revolution, has inherited these obligations. While Iran’s regime insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly raised concerns over the lack of transparency and has been unable to fully verify the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
Nevertheless, a series of UN sanctions began in 2006, including bans on weapons and nuclear technology exports to Iran. In 2011, the U.S. expanded sanctions on the oil sector, and in 2012 the EU banned Iranian oil imports entirely.
The JCPOA and Its Unraveling
In 2015, under President Barack Obama, the Iranian regime agreed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), committing to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, in 2018, Trump withdrew from the deal, arguing it failed to curb the regime’s broader destabilizing behavior, and reinstated sweeping sanctions.
This renewed pressure campaign drastically reduced oil exports, which plummeted to 400,000 barrels per day by 2020. Although then-US President Joe Biden initially eased some sanctions to incentivize a return to talks, the Iranian regime’s missile attack on Israel in October 2024 prompted a policy reversal. Biden imposed new sanctions in October and December, targeting regime tankers.
Financial Chokehold
Beyond the oil sector, the U.S. has long worked to sever the Iranian regime from the global financial system. American sanctions prohibit U.S. businesses from trading with the regime and penalize international banks that engage with Iranian entities. Key financial institutions, including the Central Bank of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have been heavily sanctioned.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the “maximum pressure” strategy resulted in a sharp economic downturn. Between 2012 and 2016 alone, the regime lost more than $160 billion in oil revenue. Inflation surged to 54% in 2022 and remained around 30% by the end of 2024. By February 2025, the Iranian rial had fallen to its lowest value in history.
The Dark Fleet and Evasion Tactics
Western analysts and advocacy groups, such as the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), warn that the regime has adapted by creating a “dark fleet” of tankers that operate covertly. These vessels often sail with tracking systems disabled and are registered in jurisdictions that mask ownership. The regime also relies on clandestine banking networks and front companies to facilitate oil sales and move revenue.
Despite Tehran’s claims that U.S. sanctions undermine global oil market stability, Washington remains committed to curbing the regime’s oil revenues as a means of blocking nuclear weapon development and limiting its ability to finance regional proxies.
As indirect negotiations remain stalled and sanctions mount, the Iranian regime faces growing economic and diplomatic isolation—conditions Washington hopes will ultimately compel it to shift course.
Trump's Maximum Pressure: Sanctions Target Iranian Regime’s Oil Exports and Financial Networks - Iran News Update
Washington remains committed to curbing the regime’s oil revenues as a means of blocking nuclear weapon development and limiting its ability to finance regional proxies.
irannewsupdate.com
