Iran Focus

London, 16 May – US President Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday, May 8th, “to impose sanctions with respect to Iran’s iron, steel, aluminum, and copper sectors, Iran’s largest non-petroleum-related sources of export revenue.” These new sanctions take aim at “Iran’s revenue from the export of industrial metals — 10 percent of its export economy — and puts other nations on notice that allowing Iranian steel and other metals into [their] ports will no longer be tolerated.”

By Pooya Stone

Iran’s trade figures with Europe’s biggest economy are shrinking and its key oil exports are faltering. According to Bloomberg, crude oil is Iran’s main revenue source and it has compiled for foreign ports in the first nine days of May.

The unilateral sanctions on Iranian oil exports tightened on May 2nd, when waivers that allowed several countries to keep importing crude from Iran expired. Now, the US aims to reduce oil imports to zero in an effort to pressure Iran to change its perceived malign behaviors.

By Mehdi

While supporters of the Islamic Republic, as well as critics of Trump’s policies toward Tehran, are doubtful about the achievability of the Trump Administration’s aim to reduce Tehran’s oil exports, “The White House has shown itself to be committed and determined to exerting pressure until it brings Iran’s oil exports to zero, “writes Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist, Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, who is also the president of the International American Council.