• 5 min de lectura
• 5 min de lectura
By Derek Wallbank and Patrick Sykes (Bloomberg) — US President Donald Trump threatened Iran and its trading partners with economic isolation after months of military strikes and a maritime blockade failed to force Tehran to capitulate.
Trump didn't specify what measures he would take or which countries would be targeted, but his threat put an immediate focus on China, which buys the bulk of Iran's oil. Brent crude prices advanced for a fifth day to about $94 a barrel, reaching the highest this month.
In its first reaction to Trump's comments, Beijing said sanctions and pressure wouldn't work and called for a diplomatic resolution. Iran, meanwhile, said Trump's threats were a "diversion" from America's own crises of unprecedented debt and surging interest costs.
"Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat — and enmity of Iranians," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. "US economic terrorism threatens global economy and sovereignty worldwide."
It's unclear what new economic punishment the US could impose, if any, that Tehran hasn't already endured. Targeting Iranian oil sales would also risk fresh confrontation with China, the buyer of almost all Iranian crude exports. That would complicate Trump's bid to extend a tariff truce with President Xi Jinping, who is set to visit the US next month.
"I don't think there's a magic bullet," said Daniel Fried, a former US ambassador to Poland, told Bloomberg TV. "Is there more leverage we could apply against the Iranian economy? Probably. But I think they've got the workarounds pretty much in place right now. Our leverage is not great in the short run."
Trump's comments signal how the US, beset by munitions shortages and rising costs, wants to pivot from a military campaign that's eliminated most of Iran's top leaders and battered its economy, but has so far failed to bring about its surrender.
China doesn't recognize unilateral sanctions, but its state entities generally stay away from blacklisted oil. Its biggest state banks also have a history of complying with US sanctions against Iran, North Korea and even top officials in Hong Kong, in order to avoid losing access to the US dollar-clearing system.
Washington has already sanctioned some independent Chinese teapot refineries and firms since the US launched the war against Iran in late February. But so far, the US has stopped short of targeting the major Chinese banks that finance the trade.
In May, China ordered domestic companies not to comply with US sanctions on five refiners, while its biggest banks were caught between Beijing's directive and the risk of losing access to the US financial system.
"Sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters at in Beijing on Thursday. "China calls on relevant parties to take responsible measures and sought to solve the issue through diplomatic and political means."
Trump demanded that all countries stop giving Iran access to exchange houses, cash transfers, swap lines, ship registries, front companies and avenues to smuggle out its oil. He also sought to rally other nations that have so far declined to support his war on the Islamic Republic, saying the US needs all its allies to help "isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat."
The US got a boost on Tuesday, when the United Arab Emirates severed economic ties with Iran after accusing it of firing two ballistic missiles at its territorial waters. Iran denied responsibility for the attack.
The UAE ranked as Iran's top trade partner last year, with Tehran relying on the relationship for access to foreign goods and hard currency, followed by China, Turkey and India.
Trump's aim is to force Iran into fresh negotiations meant to end the war for good, force Tehran to abandon its nuclear program and release its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Those goals were spelled out in a memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in June, but later collapsed amid a flurry of tit-for-tat strikes.
Iran has weathered economic sanctions for decades, and its response has been to make its own demands, including the unfreezing of its assets, an end to sanctions and war damages.
Resolving the conflict is increasingly urgent for Trump as he contends with high gasoline prices, the war's growing unpopularity and Republican concerns about losing one or both houses of Congress in November's midterm elections. Earlier this week, he even threatened to bomb Oman, an American ally that has sometimes played the role of mediator, if it gets in the way of the US.
Iran's threats against commercial shipping have stifled traffic through Hormuz, while a counter-blockade ordered by Trump has severely limited Iran's own ability to export oil.
The war, which is approaching the six-month mark, and the blockade have spurred almost 80% inflation in Iran and its currency has lost almost 30% of its value against the dollar this year. Economists have warned the conflict risks dragging it into one of the worst economic crises in the history of the nation of 90 million people.
Source: GCAPTAIN_NEWS
