Trump and Netanyahu Agree to Beat Iran with Tariffs and Hope

KEY POINTS

•On Wednesday, Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House to ramp up economic pressure on Iran via oil sales to China.
•Trump signed an executive order allowing tariffs of up to 25% on any country trading with Iran, complicating US-China tensions.
•Advisers Kushner and Witkoff planned a second round of nuclear talks in Geneva, despite skepticism about Iran’s willingness to compromise.

On a historic Wednesday White House pow-wow, Trump and Netanyahu decided to crank up the economic pressure on Iran by throttling their oil sales to China—who sucks up over 80% of Iran's exports. Trump, fresh off a decade-old executive order flex, wants to slap up to 25% tariffs on any country still dealing with Iran, putting oil and rare earth magnets in a geopolitical blender. Netanyahu called a good deal with Iran impossible, while Trump optimistically shrugged, 'Let’s give it a shot.' Meanwhile, go-to advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are hustling hard, meeting Iranians in Geneva to negotiate while denying any mysterious uranium deals floated on Twitter by journalist Ali Gholhaki. It’s nuclear brinkmanship, with tariffs, tweets, and a fridge-full of hope.