U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping economic sanctions on Monday aimed at punishing countries that continue to do business with Iran, escalating pressure in response to a nationwide crackdown on protests in Tehran.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said any nation conducting business with the Islamic Republic of Iran would face a 25 percent tariff on all trade with the United States, effective immediately.
He described the measure as “final and conclusive,” but offered few details on how the tariffs would be enforced or under what legal authority they are being imposed.
Under the new directive, countries that maintain commercial ties with Tehran, including major economies such as China, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and India, could see U.S. trade with them penalized by the higher tariff rate.
Tariffs are customarily paid by U.S. importers of goods from affected countries.
The announcement came as Iran experiences its biggest anti-government protests in years, with reports of hundreds of deaths amid security force crackdowns.
Trump’s message accompanies a broader U.S. strategy that keeps “all options on the table,” including possible military action, according to White House officials, though national security advisers have also emphasized diplomacy as the preferred initial response.
No official White House documentation laying out the tariff policy was immediately posted, and the administration has not yet clarified how countries would be identified or how the measure would intersect with existing U.S. trade law and international obligations.
World markets and government officials were assessing the implications, with analysts warning that broad tariffs could disrupt global trade and strain relationships with U.S. trading partners.
Foreign governments are expected to review the policy’s legal underpinnings and potential exemptions, while the U.S. Congress and courts could be drawn into debates over presidential authority for such trade measures.
Public comment from affected nations and potential adjustments to the policy may follow in coming days.
