Trump threatens 25% US trade tariff on countries doing business with Iran

Washington (Web Desk/Agencies): US President Donald Trump on Monday warned that any country maintaining commercial ties with Iran would be subjected to a 25 percent duty on all trade with the United States, as Washington considers how to react to the unrest gripping the Islamic Republic, where the largest protests in years are unfolding.

Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying the new tariff would apply with immediate effect to any nation doing business with Iran. He said the move was final, though he did not explain how it would be implemented or offer further details. Such tariffs would be borne by American importers bringing goods into the US from the targeted countries.

The warning comes as Iran is facing a wave of unrest following last year’s brief but intense conflict with US ally Israel and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

Trump has said that American officials might meet their Iranian counterparts and that he has been in touch with opposition figures, even as he continues to tighten pressure on Tehran’s leadership and keeps the option of military action on the table.

Meanwhile, the US “Virtual Embassy” issued an advisory telling Americans in Iran to leave the country as soon as possible. It urged them to make arrangements that do not rely on help from the US government. The notice also said dual US-Iranian citizens must travel on Iranian passports and reminded them that Washington has no diplomatic or consular presence in Iran, with Switzerland acting as the US protecting power through its embassy in Tehran.

Iranian officials said on Monday that communication channels with Washington remain open as Trump weighs his response to the crisis, which has become one of the most serious tests of the clerical system since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

What began as demonstrations over severe economic difficulties has grown into open calls for the collapse of the ruling religious leadership. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that it had confirmed 599 deaths since the protests began on December 28, including 510 demonstrators and 89 members of the security forces.

Although the possibility of airstrikes is among the choices before the US president, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Trump continues to view diplomacy as the first course of action.

Throughout his second term, Trump has frequently used tariffs to pressure countries he says are too close to America’s rivals or whose trade policies he believes disadvantage the United States. His approach, however, is under legal challenge, with the US Supreme Court reviewing whether to invalidate a broad range of tariffs already in place.

Iran, which belongs to the OPEC group of oil producers, exported products to 147 countries in 2022, according to the latest figures from the World Bank.