Trump, Netanyahu Plan Tariff‑Backed Squeeze on Iranian Oil to China

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in a White House meeting this week that the U.S. will intensify economic pressure on Iran by targeting its oil exports to China, which account for more than 80% of Tehran’s shipments, U.S. officials told Axios. The push will rely on an executive order Trump signed 10 days earlier that empowers the secretaries of State and Commerce to recommend tariffs of up to 25% on any country doing business with Iran, with an eye toward penalizing Chinese purchases of Iranian crude. U.S. officials say the 'maximum pressure' campaign will run in parallel with ongoing nuclear talks and a military buildup in the Middle East meant to keep the option of strikes on the table if diplomacy fails, even as some inside the administration privately doubt a deal is possible. Netanyahu urged Trump to abandon any hope of a nuclear agreement, arguing Iran will never honor one, while Trump, advised by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, said he wants to 'give it a shot' and will let his envoys keep negotiating and bring him any deal they deem acceptable. A second round of indirect talks with Iranian representatives is scheduled for Tuesday in Geneva, where the U.S. expects a substantive response to messages already sent through Oman’s foreign minister. Any move to tariff China over Iranian oil could further strain U.S.–China relations and complicate a planned April summit in Beijing, while raising the risk of broader oil‑market disruptions if Iran retaliates in the region.