00:08The United States is turning the screws on Iran. President Donald Trump has threatened what he
00:14calls an economic D-Day for Tehran, a campaign designed to squeeze Iran economically and make
00:20it much harder for the country to trade with the rest of the world. But there is a problem
00:24for Washington. Iran is not alone. China remains a major buyer of Iranian oil. Russia has deepened
00:31its economic and strategic relationship with Tehran. And both countries have their own reasons
00:36for resisting an American attempt to completely isolate Iran. So the big question is, can Donald
00:42Trump really isolate Iran economically? Let's understand what Washington is trying to do and
00:48why China and Russia could make that extremely difficult. So to begin with, what does Trump want?
00:54For years, the United States has used sanctions to pressure Iran. In simple terms, Washington
00:59wants to make doing business with Iran increasingly risky. The message is, you can trade with Iran,
01:06but you may lose access to the American financial system. That is a powerful threat because the
01:11US dollar and the American financial system remain central to global trade. That we know.
01:16But here's the problem. China. Iran has been under US sanctions for decades now. And over those
01:23decades, Tehran has learned how to keep its economy functioning. One of the most important parts
01:29of that survival strategy is dealings with China. China is Iran's biggest oil customer. A large majority
01:36of Iran's oil exports are ultimately going to Chinese buyers. And this is important because oil is the
01:43lifeline of the Iranian economy. Iran needs to sell oil to earn foreign currency. China needs energy. So
01:50there is a strong economic incentive on both sides to keep this relationship going. The trade also
01:56doesn't always happen through the traditional Western financial system. The question now becomes,
02:01how far is America willing to go against China? Would Washington sanction Chinese refiners?
02:09Would it target Chinese banks? Would it risk turning an Iran sanctions campaign into another major
02:15confrontation with Beijing? That is a dilemma, a real one. Then there is Russia. Russia now plays a
02:24different role. It cannot replace China as Iran's biggest oil customer. But Moscow and Tehran have
02:29developed increasingly close economic, political and strategic ties. And there's an important similarity
02:36between the two countries. Both have lived under Western sanctions for years. Russia has developed
02:42alternative payment systems, trading routes and financial mechanisms to reduce its dependence on
02:48Western institutions. Iran has done something similar. So cooperation between the two countries gives
02:54Tehran another way to reduce the impact of American pressure. China for energy and trade. Russia for strategic and
03:01economic cooperation. And increasingly, Iran is also looking towards other countries and institutions
03:07outside the traditional Western economic system. Now, amidst all this, Iran has issued a response. Tehran,
03:15meanwhile, is pushing back strongly against Trump's threats. Iran has condemned the US campaign as
03:21economic terrorism and rejected the idea that Washington can dictate which countries Iran is allowed to
03:27trade with. And Iran's argument is essentially this. The United States can sanction Iran, but it cannot control the
03:35entire world economy. Tehran is also trying to reduce its dependence on Western financial systems by
03:42increasing the use of national currencies and exploring alternative financial arrangements. That does not mean
03:48Iran can simply replace the dollar. It cannot. And sanctions have caused serious damage to the Iranian economy
03:56over the years. One thing to note is pressure is not the same as isolation. This is perhaps the most
04:04important point. The United States can put enormous economic pressure on Iran. That's forgiven. It can
04:10make Iranian oil exports more difficult. It can increase the cost of shipping Iranian crude. It can target
04:16banks and companies. It can make international businesses think twice before dealing with Tehran. But
04:23economic pressure is not the same as complete isolation. For sanctions to completely isolate Iran,
04:30Washington would need much broader international cooperation. And that's where China and Russia
04:35matter. So can Trump isolate Iran? The big question? The answer is probably more complicated
04:41than a simple yes or no. Trump can certainly increase the economic cost of doing business with Iran. He can
04:48squeeze Tehran's revenues. He can put enormous pressure on countries and companies that help Iran trade.
04:54But completely cutting off Iran is a difficult challenge. For decades, American financial power has
05:00allowed Washington to use sanctions far beyond its borders. The question now is whether countries like
05:06China and Russia are powerful enough and willing enough to build alternative channels that make those
05:13sanctions less effective.
