CNN: US attempts to enlist China, India in campaign to pressure Iran

The United States is attempting to pressure China and India to influence Iran by initiating a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to an analytical report by CNN.

“One implied goal of the operation is to create pressure on outside nations that buy Iranian oil, such as China and India, to try to force Tehran back to the negotiating table,” the network said.

CNN also noted that in the case of China, Washington is taking significant risks, as any interception by US vessels of a Chinese tanker carrying Iranian oil could trigger “a diplomatic incident weeks before Trump is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, which the president has long been looking forward to.”

The report added that Washington may have underestimated Tehran by launching the blockade, assuming it would quickly end the war, while Iranian leaders view the current conflict as a struggle for “survival.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada