US and Israel set for Iran talks, as Tehran weighs response to Trump letter
The US and Israel are set to convene a strategic meeting on Iran's nuclear programme as the administration of President Donald Trump ramps up its maximum pressure campaign on Tehran.
The Trump administration is trying to reduce the flow of Iranian oil to China.
The world’s second-largest economy is by far Iran’s biggest customer for crude. On Thursday, the US slapped sanctions on a refinery in east China's Shandong Province and vessels that supplied oil to Chinese plants linked to the Houthis in Yemen.
The Trump administration is targeting so-called “Teapot refineries,” or small, privately owned operations in China that process Iranian crude.
"These sanctions are being imposed pursuant to President Trump's maximum pressure campaign to drive Iran's oil exports, including to China, to zero," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
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"China is by far the largest importer of Iranian oil," she said, adding that Tehran used these oil revenues to "finance attacks" against US allies and to support “terrorism”.
Thursday marked the fourth round of sanctions that Trump has imposed on China.
Reuters reported in January that China’s state-owned Shandong Port Group decided to start blocking tankers under US sanctions. That was a blow to Iran, whose ageing shadow fleet ships most of its oil to China.
Trump's two-month deadline for a deal
The sanctions campaign comes as Axios reports that Israel and the US are preparing to meet to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu have already met at the White House and discussed Iran. This specific working group was established in 2009 during the Obama administration.
Ties between the Obama administration and Netanyahu’s government were plagued by tensions over the 2015 nuclear deal, which culminated in Netanyahu delivering an address to Congress in which he trashed Obama’s diplomacy with Iran.
Trump poses a different dilemma for Netanyahu, who is adamantly opposed to a nuclear deal.
Trump walked back the pressure he imposed on Netanyahu in January to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. He has approved expedited arms sales to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs held up by the Biden administration. He has also thrown US support behind Israel’s decision to restart attacking the Gaza Strip.
On Iran, Trump is positioning himself as hardline.
Besides the sanctions, earlier this month, Israel and the US conducted a joint air force drill in the Eastern Mediterranean that included long-range bombers. The drill was widely seen as a message to Iran about the US preparing for a potential strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities, analysts say.
At the same time, Trump has said he wants a nuclear deal. In March, he revealed he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asking for talks.
“There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” Trump said. “I would prefer to make a deal because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.”
Axios reported on Friday that Trump's letter set a "two-month deadline for reaching a new nuclear deal”.
Iran hawks versus isolationists
Khamenei, speaking on Friday at his live annual televised speech marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, said that US threats against his country "will get them nowhere”.
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the letter was "more of a threat" but also said it appeared to offer opportunities.
Araghchi added that Tehran is weighing its response, which will be issued in the coming days.
So far, Trump’s diplomacy has given Iran little confidence in the merits of starting talks.
The White House infuriated Israel and the Washington establishment by initiating direct talks with Hamas, but after blowback, the Trump administration pivoted fast, backing Israel’s attack on Gaza. Trump pulled the nomination for his envoy who met with Hamas, with Trump’s approval.
Even in Ukraine, where Trump has positioned himself as a “peacemaker”, he has been unable to reach a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia despite Kyiv agreeing to a truce.
Next week’s meeting between the US and Israel in Washington will include Netanyahu’s top advisors, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Dermer is ultra-hardline on Iran and, at one point, was banned from the White House by the Obama administration, a former US official told MEE.
Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, will attend on the US side, along with officials from the State Department, Pentagon, and US intelligence community.
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