The U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, stated this Sunday that Iran could complete its pending oil shipments to China in the next two weeks and be left practically without resources to maintain its international trade, as the administration of Donald Trump intensifies its economic pressure campaign against Tehran.
Bessent estimated that currently about 15 million barrels of Iranian oil remain to be delivered to China. According to the official, once those shipments are completed, Iran will face greater difficulties in generating income and sustaining its trade exchanges due to the measures taken by Washington.
''Probably within the next two weeks they will have nothing to trade,'' Bessent said while describing the impact of the U.S. strategy known as ''Economic Marginalization Operation.'' The secretary presented the reduction of Iranian shipments as a sign that economic pressure is limiting Tehran's options.
Scott Bessent stated that the Iranian regime's oil reserves are depleting in the face of the need to export to China
The Trump administration seeks to use economic restrictions to reduce the sources of income for the Iranian regime and increase the incentives to reach a new agreement with Washington. Bessent stated that Tehran is feeling that pressure and that this scenario would explain its renewed interest in negotiating with the United States.
President Donald Trump, however, rejected on Saturday the latest proposal presented by Iran. In statements, the president confirmed that he expects talks to continue this week, but made it clear that Washington will not necessarily accept the conditions proposed by the regime in Tehran.
''They want to reach an agreement, but it is not the agreement that I want,'' Trump stated. According to the president, the Iranian proposal resembles the conditions that the United States might have accepted a year ago, but he maintained that Tehran ''overstepped'' by expecting better terms.
One of the main points of the Iranian proposal is related to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route for global oil transportation. Tehran offered to reopen the strategic passage as part of the negotiations, although Bessent stated that the strait is already open to traffic.
President Donald Trump has rejected the latest version of the agreement proposed by the Iranian regime
The Treasury Secretary noted that currently between 15 and 22 million barrels per day are circulating in the area, compared to about 20 million before the conflict. Bessent used these figures to highlight that international energy flow continues despite the confrontation with Iran.
According to his description, more than 1 billion barrels of oil have managed to leave the region since the conflict began, while Iran faces increasing difficulties in marketing its own production. Scott Bessent presented this difference as a demonstration of the economic pressure exerted on Tehran.
The official also defended the U.S. strategy as a tool to ensure that any future agreement with Iran is respected. Bessent recalled that Tehran would not have fulfilled commitments included in a previous memorandum of understanding and stated that Washington must ensure that a new pact has conditions that can be verified and fulfilled.
''My job is to ensure that when they come with an agreement, they want to fulfill it,'' explained the Treasury Secretary, who left the final decision on a potential negotiation in the hands of President Trump.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary estimated the current flow in transit between 15 and 22 million barrels per day
While the U.S. government seeks to limit Iranian oil revenues and the regime's funding avenues, Trump keeps the possibility of negotiating open if Tehran presents a proposal that meets U.S. demands.
For Scott Bessent, the reduction of Iran's trade alternatives may strengthen Washington's negotiating position. His argument is that a regime subjected to greater economic restrictions will have greater incentives to accept commitments and fulfill them in the future. The Trump administration maintains that the goal of the pressure campaign is to use that economic advantage to reach a potential agreement that can be sustained over time.
