US considers further sanctions on Iran-linked trade and finance
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Oil traders, currency exchangers and Chinese financial institutions are among the possible targets as Washington prepares to intensify economic pressure on Iran.
Key facts
China purchased more than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil in 2025, according to analytics firm Kpler, with independent refineries absorbing much of the trade.
US President Donald Trump pledged on Friday to apply far greater economic pressure, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated a day earlier that Washington could impose measures that had “never been seen”
They have also frozen an estimated US$500 billion in cryptocurrency linked to Iran.
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Summary
US President Donald Trump pledged on Friday to apply far greater economic pressure, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated a day earlier that Washington could impose measures that had “never been seen” as early as this week.
Miad Maleki, a sanctions specialist with the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, interpreted Bessent’s remarks as a likely signal of stricter enforcement against oil shippers, purchasers and currency exchangers that help Tehran pay for imports.