by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he plans to reinstate the “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that he practiced during his first term, in order to drive Tehran’s oil exports down to zero and prevent the regime from developing a nuclear bomb, a US official told Reuters.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had unsuccessfully sought to revive the Obama-era 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iran deal. Greatly critical of the JCPoA, Trump withdrew the US from the treaty during his first term and later condemned Biden’s efforts to revive it as having allowed Tehran to drive up its oil exports exponentially, progress its nuclear program, and arm terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in the Middle East.
Trump will sign a presidential memorandum that orders sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions, the US official told Reuters. The Trump administration will implement a campaign “aimed at driving Iran’s oil exports to zero,” the official said.
The US Energy Information Administration estimates that Tehran’s oil exports were worth $53 billion in 2023 and $54 billion in 2023, Reuters reports. “Output during 2024 was running at its highest level since 2018, based on OPEC data,” Reuters said.
Sharing Trump’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear aspirations, Britain, France, and Germany told the United Nations Security Council in December that they are ready to reinstate international sanctions on Iran.
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