British News Agency

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “With immediate effect, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25 percent customs tariff on all dealings with the United States. This order is firm and final.”

Trump did not define what qualifies as “doing business” with Iran, raising questions about how the additional tariffs would be applied, which countries would be targeted, and whether services—not just goods—would face higher taxes.

Trump’s statement came as he floated the possibility of U.S. military intervention to “save” anti-government protesters in Iran, where hundreds of people have reportedly been killed. An ongoing communications blackout imposed by authorities on Thursday has largely isolated the country from the outside world.

The new tariff could amount to a combined rate of at least 45 percent compared with the existing 20 percent rate on goods from China. According to Chinese customs data, in the first 11 months of 2025 China exported $6.2 billion worth of goods to Iran and imported $2.85 billion.

These figures do not account for oil purchases that China does not publicly disclose. Analysts estimate that more than 90 percent of Iran’s oil trade in recent years has been imported by China, often via intermediary countries.

In addition to China, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey are considered key trading partners of Iran.