Trump Imposes 25% Tariff on Iran Trading Nations
President Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on all nations conducting business with Iran, declaring the measure “final and conclusive” via Truth Social without providing legal justification or implementation details. The White House offered no official documentation of the policy, declined to clarify its legal authority, and did not respond to requests for comment regarding scope or enforcement mechanisms.
Iran’s major trading partners—including China, Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and India—would face the tariffs under Trump’s declaration. China’s embassy immediately rejected the measure, stating it opposes “indiscriminate imposition of tariffs” and warning it would take “all necessary measures” to protect its interests, noting that “tariff wars and trade wars have no winners.”
The announcement coincides with Iran’s largest anti-government demonstrations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, driven by economic collapse and calls for systemic change. The U.S.-based rights group HRANA documented 599 deaths—510 protesters and 89 security personnel—since protests began on December 28, with Iran experiencing its gravest challenge to clerical rule in decades.
Trump has threatened military action against Iran while claiming to maintain diplomatic channels with opposition figures and Tehran’s leadership. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated diplomacy remains “the first option,” though Trump authorized U.S. military airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June and supported Israeli military strikes on Iran in 2025.
Trump’s tariff authority faces legal scrutiny as the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to overturn broad sections of his existing tariffs. Iran exported goods to 147 trading partners in 2022 according to World Bank data, suggesting the tariff threat would disrupt extensive global commerce networks.