Washington announces new sanctions on Iranian oil

The United States announced Tuesday that it was imposing sanctions on Iranian oil exports to China, despite ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran on the nuclear issue.

A statement from the US State Department read, "Today, the United States imposed sanctions on an international network that facilitated the export of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth billions of dollars to China for the Iranian General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy."

The statement added that the proceeds from the sale of this oil "fund Iran's ballistic missile and drone development, nuclear proliferation, and terrorist activities."

Since Donald Trump's return to office in January, the United States has been pursuing a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran to prevent it from accessing resources that, according to Washington, "enable it to continue its destabilizing activities."

The United States and Iran concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday.

No breakthrough was announced in the talks, but both sides expressed cautious optimism.

The talks, which began on April 12, aim to reach a new agreement that would prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran denies, insisting it has the right to nuclear technology and that its program is exclusively peaceful.