A deal had been in the works this spring that would spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new U.S.-based firm, majority-owned and operated by

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Thursday that TikTok will have to stop operating in the United States if China does not approve a deal for the sale of the Chinese-owned short video app that is used by some 170 million Americans.

TikTok will go dark in the U.S unless China agrees to a deal that giving U.S. owners majority control over the video app, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.