Trump Reimposes ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign to Choke Off Iran’s Oil Exports

By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing Washington’s tough policy on Iran that was practiced throughout his first term.

As he signed the memo, Trump described it as very tough and said he was torn on whether to make the move. He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and he hopes that a deal can be worked out with Tehran.

Trump has accused former President Joe Biden of failing to rigorously enforce oil-export sanctions, which Trump says emboldened Tehran by allowing it to sell oil to fund a nuclear weapons program and armed militias in the Middle East. 

Iran is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% weapons-grade level, the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief told Reuters in December. Iran has denied wanting to develop a nuclear weapon.

Trump’s memo, among other things, orders the U.S. Treasury secretary to impose “maximum…