Trump Calls for Strict Enforcement of Iran Sanctions Amid Ongoing Nuclear Talks

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, 14 May 2025 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump has called for the rigorous enforcement of sanctions on Iran, even as he expressed a desire for a negotiated settlement in the ongoing nuclear talks.

Speaking at a summit of Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh on Wednesday, Trump stated, “I want to make a deal with Iran. I want to do something, if it’s possible. But for that to happen, it must stop sponsoring terror, halt its bloody proxy wars, and permanently and verifiably cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”

Trump further urged all nations to fully enforce the sanctions his administration has imposed on Iran, adding, “I’m strongly urging all nations to join us in fully and totally enforcing the sanctions that I just placed on Iran.”

While it was not immediately clear what Trump meant by “just placed”, his administration has, in recent weeks, imposed a series of sanctions targeting entities and individuals connected to Iran’s oil industry and nuclear programme.

In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from the landmark nuclear agreement reached between major world powers and Iran, which had offered sanctions relief in exchange for UN-monitored restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities. Following this withdrawal, Trump reinstated sweeping sanctions on Iran, including secondary sanctions that target any country purchasing Iranian oil.

He highlighted the impact of these measures, stating that secondary sanctions are “in certain ways even more devastating” than direct sanctions on Iran.

The Trump administration has reportedly held four rounds of talks with Iran in an effort to prevent a potential Israeli military strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Both sides have described the discussions as positive, though they appear to have yet to delve deeply into the technical details of a potential agreement.

Meanwhile, Iran, which denies seeking to develop nuclear weapons, has indicated that it expects to hold further talks with Britain, France, and Germany on Friday in Turkey.