US Restores 'Maximum Pressure' on Iran to Drive Oil Exports to Zero

US President Donald Trump on Feb 4 restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

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WASHINGTON -

Ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing Washington's tough policy on Iran that was practiced throughout his first term.

As he signed the memo, he described it as very tough and said he was torn on whether to make the move. He said he was open to a deal with Iran and expressed a willingness to talk to the Iranian leader.

"With me, it's very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Mr. Trump said. Asked how close Tehran is to a weapon, he said: "They're too close."

On Feb 5, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: "If the main concern is that Iran should not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a complicated issue. Iran's position is clear: It is a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Supreme Leader's fatwa has already clarified our stance (against weapons of mass destruction).

"Maximum pressure is a failed experience, and trying it again will lead to another failure."

Mr. Trump has accused former President Joe Biden of failing to rigorously enforce oil-export sanctions, which he says emboldened Tehran by allowing it to sell oil to fund a nuclear weapons program and arm militias in the Middle East.

Iran is "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60 per cent purity, close to the roughly 90 per cent weapons-grade level, the UN nuclear watchdog chief told Reuters in December 2024.