DW:

The latest spike in US–Iran tensions has cast fresh light on one of the thorniest issues in Washington's efforts to rein in Tehran: Iran's oil exports to China — a vital economic lifeline — and the mounting difficulties the US faces in halting them.  

Strains escalated last Thursday after the fourth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was abruptly postponed just days before they were set to begin in Rome. On the same day, President Donald Trump issued a stark warning: any country or individual purchasing oil or petrochemicals from Iran would be subject to immediate US sanctions.

"They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form," Trump wrote on Truth Social, reaffirming his administration's hard-line stance.

In the past several months, even before the current talks started, the Trump administration has reinstated the "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at slashing Iran's oil exports to near zero and curbing its nuclear ambitions.

As part of the measures, the US has imposed fresh sanctions on entities accused of facilitating Iranian oil sales, including a China-based crude oil storage terminal and an independent refiner.

Trump has repeatedly warned of piling on even more pressure if diplomacy fails, adding to the woes of an Iranian oil sector that has already been severely weakened by years of US sanctions. 

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