The US wants to restrict Iranian oil exports to China

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed that the US will work to reduce oil exports from Iran to China, Axios reported, citing two US officials briefed on the matter.

"We have agreed to exert maximum pressure on Iran, for example in connection with the sale of Iranian oil to China," Axios reported on Saturday, citing a senior US official.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday.

China accounts for more than 80 percent of Iran's oil exports. Any reduction in this trade would mean lower oil revenues for Iran.

US and Iranian diplomats held nuclear talks last week through Omani mediators in an effort to revive diplomacy after the US president deployed a naval fleet to the region as the US military prepares for the possibility of weeks of operations against Iran.

(Reuters)