Donald Trump, the United States president, has warned that any country doing business with Iran will face a 25 percent tariff on trade with the United States, sharply raising pressure on Tehran as deadly anti-government protests continue across the country.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump said the measure would take effect immediately. “Any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25 percent on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” he wrote, adding that the order was “final and conclusive”.
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The White House offered no further details on how the tariff would be enforced or what level of commercial ties would qualify as doing business with Iran. The announcement nonetheless carries major implications for China, one of Iran’s largest trading partners and a key buyer of its already sanctioned oil. If applied fully, the move could push tariffs on Chinese goods entering the United States to at least 45 percent, up from the current 20 percent.
China’s foreign ministry criticised the threat, warning of wider fallout. “There are no winners in a tariff war, and China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Tuesday.
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The tariff warning comes as Trump weighs tougher action against Iran following a violent crackdown on protests that erupted weeks ago. A United States-based human rights group says at least 648 protesters have been killed, though it cautions the real figure may be far higher. Iranian authorities have imposed an internet shutdown that has now lasted more than 108 hours, cutting off most of the country’s roughly 90 million people from the outside world, according to internet monitor NetBlocks.
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Trump has said the killings were “starting to” cross his red line and confirmed he has been briefed on a range of military and covert options, including long-range missile strikes as well as cyber and psychological operations, according to officials speaking to CBS News, the BBC’s United States partner. The White House said no final decision had been made and that communication channels with Tehran remained open.
Iran’s foreign minister has said Tehran is open to talks with Washington but remains “prepared for war”. Both sides have confirmed renewed contact between Iranian officials and Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, even as rhetoric in public has grown more confrontational.
