The United States has imposed additional Iran-related sanctions, as the Trump administration negotiates with Tehran on a new nuclear weapons deal.

The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a shipping network it says has sent millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China, the State Department said, days after Iran and U.S. negotiators concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on more than 20 companies in a network that it said has long sent Iranian oil to China, days after negotiators from Iran and the United States concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia before heading to Qatar on Wednesday, the White House said.

The economic importance of the Middle East to Trump is highlighted by the fact that the visit to Saudi Arabia was due to be the first overseas trip of his second term in the White House. That was before the death of Pope Francis necessitated Trump attending his funeral in Rome towards the end of April.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, a major U.S. policy shift ahead of an expected meeting with Syria's Islamist President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"Massive" sanctions European leaders threatened to impose on Russia if Vladimir Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine face formidable political obstacles and would need U.S. support to succeed,

Russia has called for direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, but Ukraine’s European allies maintain Putin needs to be pressured into a ceasefire first.

The new package of EU sanctions comes one day before a direct round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey. View on euronews