US President Donald Trump said on Monday he has imposed 25% tariffs on goods from countries that have commercial ties with Iran, a move that could put pressure on Tehran as anti-government protests enter their third week.
Trump said on social media that the tariffs were “effective immediately”, without giving details on “doing business” with Iran.
China is Iran’s largest trading partner, followed by Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye and India.
The new tariffs come after Trump threatened military intervention if Tehran kills protesters. White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said Monday that military options, including airstrikes, were still “on the table.”
“Any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25% tariff on any and all trade it does with the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
“This order is final and conclusive,” he said.
The White House did not share additional details about the tariffs, including which countries’ imports would be most affected.
Anger over the falling value of the Iranian currency, the rial, sparked protests in late December, turning into a legitimacy crisis for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) says it has confirmed the deaths of about 500 protesters and 48 security personnel in Iran, while sources tell the BBC the death toll could be much higher. Thousands more people have reportedly been arrested.
However, it has been difficult to obtain and verify information due to the internet blackout since Thursday evening. The BBC and most other international news organizations are unable to report from inside Iran.
Trump has threatened to intervene, and said on Sunday that Iranian officials had called him “to talk” – but added, “we may have to take action before the meeting”.
International sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program have had a severe impact on the country’s economy, which has also become weak due to government mismanagement and corruption.
On December 28, shoppers took to the streets of Tehran to express their anger over another sharp decline in the value of the rial against the US dollar in the open market.
Iran’s currency has hit record lows over the past year, while inflation has exceeded 40%, resulting in a sharp increase in the prices of everyday goods such as cooking oil and meat.
