Scott Bessent, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, stated on Friday, February 14, that the United States intends to implement a “maximum pressure” policy to reduce Iran’s oil exports to 100,000 barrels per day.
In an interview with Fox Business, he stated that the Iranian regime is currently exporting between 1.5 million and 1.6 million barrels of oil per day, using the revenues to finance its terrorist activities worldwide.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary emphasized that the Trump administration is committed to reducing this figure back to 100,000 barrels per day, as had been achieved by the end of Trump’s first term.
Scott Bessent stated that China and possibly India are purchasing Iranian oil despite the sanctions, calling this unacceptable.
U.S. Congress Proposal to Push Three European Countries to Trigger Snapback Mechanism Against Iran
The U.S. Treasury Secretary added that imposing maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and reducing its daily oil exports to 100,000 barrels would put the already fragile Iranian economy—grappling with massive inflation and a severe budget deficit—under even greater financial strain.
In connection with this, a group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a new resolution calling for the reinstatement of strict United Nations sanctions against the Iranian regime, accusing its officials of repeatedly violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
According to Fox News, this resolution, which has bipartisan support in the U.S., urges the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to swiftly activate the “snapback mechanism” through the United Nations Security Council and reimpose sanctions on the Iranian government.
On Tuesday, February 4, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating the maximum pressure campaign against Iran, with the full text available on the White House website.
Reinstating Maximum Pressure on Iran’s Regime
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) that reinstates maximum pressure on Iran’s regime, blocks its pathways to acquiring nuclear weapons, and counters the regime’s malign influence abroad.
In 2020, Trump declared that as long as he remained in office, Iran’s regime would never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
