Trump's Iran sanctions resolve faces test from oil-thirsty China, India
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WASHINGTON/SINGAPORE—Shortly after US President Donald Trump announced in May he would reimpose sanctions on Iran, the US State Department began telling countries around the world the clock was ticking for them to cut oil purchases from the Islamic Republic to zero.
The strategy is meant to cripple Iran's oil-dependent economy and force Tehran to quash not only its nuclear ambitions, but this time, its ballistic missile program and its influence in Syria.
With just days to go before renewed sanctions take effect Nov. 5, the reality is setting in: three of Iran's top five customers— India, China, and Turkey—are resisting Washington's call to end purchases outright, arguing there are not sufficient supplies worldwide to replace them, according to sources familiar with the matter.
