The Trump administration on Friday announced new sanctions targeting 15 entities, two individuals and 14 so-called shadow fleet vessels linked to Iran's oil trade.
"The President is committed to driving down the Iranian regime's illicit oil and petrochemical exports under the Administration's maximum pressure campaign," the U.S. Department of State said in a statement.
The announcement came as indirect talks between the United States and Iran ended in Muscat, Oman on Friday.
According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the Friday talks focused solely on the nuclear issue, and that Tehran did not discuss any other topics with Washington.
Araghchi said that "very deep distrust" formed in past dealings between the two countries posed "a very big challenge" to the negotiations.
Ahead of the U.S.-Iran talks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the U.S. president has many options at his disposal aside from diplomacy.
Trump administration imposes new sanctions on targets linked to Iran's oil trade
Trump administration imposes new sanctions on targets linked to Iran's oil trade
International cruise ships brought more than 8,000 tourists to Shanghai over the past weekend, underscoring the growing momentum of the city's tourism market.
Last Saturday, two cruise ships, the Spectrum of the Seas and Mein Schiff 6, arrived in Shanghai with nearly 6,000 tourists, setting a new single day record for daily inbound arrivals at the city's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
Two more ships, the MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, arrived the next day, docking alongside Mein Schiff 6. For the first time this year, the terminal received three cruise ships docked simultaneously.
Impressed by China's customs services, tourists shared their feelings after landing.
"The service is very good, very fast. Everything is very quick," said a tourist.
"We're going to Disneyland. It's a cool trip," another tourist expressed her expectations.
During the two-day period, Shanghai port handled more than 20,000 passenger entries and exits, more than half of which were made by international travelers. Over 90 percent of them are benefiting from the visa-free policies.
"[I traveled from] Chengdu to here. I'm here to Beijing and Beijing to the UK," a tourist talked about his schedule, whose destinations in China all covered in the visa-free policies.
"Very good, excellent policy, and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had a week in ten days in China already, then we're gonna come back into the city to do some shopping," another senior visitor said.
Authorities have also introduced measures to improve the visa process.
"To ensure a smooth entry, officials will get on the ships in advance to perform inspections. So, passengers can start their trips as soon as they disembark. While at the airports, we have also provided an online submission system for arrival cards. That will also save their time," said Zhu Xiaoxiang, Deputy Director of Immigration Inspection Division under Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.
So far this year, Shanghai's customs and immigration agents have processed more than ten million visitors, with 305,000 international passenger trips through cruise terminals, marking a prosperous tourism market.
Over 8,000 cruise passengers touch down in Shanghai, providing major tourism boost
