Trump Dodges Specifics on Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Key Trading Partners

President Donald Trump listens as a reporter asks a question in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

President Donald Trump remained vague Friday regarding his campaign to choke off Iran’s economy, declining to clarify whether he intends to sanction Chinese banks or if he has addressed the topic with foreign counterparts.

Earlier this week, the administration introduced Operation Economic Outcast, warning of severe new sanctions against Iran’s trading partners unless they sever economic ties with Tehran. However, the administration stopped short of enacting any new measures and has not yet designated any major financial institutions from China—Iran’s primary trading partner—as targets of US sanctions.

When questioned about why he has refrained from applying new sanctions to Chinese banks conducting business with Tehran, Trump reacted defensively. “Who said I’m not? You don’t know if I’m doing it,” he stated. “I don’t have to announce everything, do I?”

Asked subsequently which world leaders he had consulted regarding the pressure campaign, Trump implied the issue was not currently a priority, despite Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stating on Monday that Trump was actively contacting foreign counterparts "with specific requests to cease their interactions with the regime."

“There’s not a lot to speak to. We don’t want to speak to them,” Trump said Thursday. “We’re not looking to meet or anything.”