The US imposes a 25% tariff on nations trading with Iran, aiming to curb Iranian activity amid widespread protests. The move affects Iran’s trading partners, fuels discussion on military and diplomatic options, and raises questions about the effectiveness and consequences of sanctions and economic pressure.
International
-Prakash KL
US
President
Donald
Trump
has
ordered
a
25
percent
tariff
on
any
nation
that
continues
trading
with
Iran,
sharply
raising
pressure
on
Tehran
over
a
deadly
protest
crackdown
that
rights
groups
say
has
already
claimed
hundreds
of
lives
across
the
country.
Trump
posted
the
decision
on
Truth
Social,
writing:
“Effective
immediately,
any
Country
doing
business
with
the
Islamic
Republic
of
Iran
will
pay
a
Tariff
of
25%
on
any
and
all
business
being
done
with
the
United
States
of
America.
This
Order
is
final
and
conclusive,” signalling
the
move
takes
effect
without
delay.
President
Donald
Trump
imposed
a
25%
tariff
on
countries
trading
with
Iran,
affecting
its
main
partners
like
China.
The
decision
follows
a
deadly
protest
crackdown
in
Iran,
where
Trump
is
considering
military
options
and
maintains
indirect
contacts
through
Steve
Witkoff.
Trump
Iran
protests:
tariffs,
key
partners
and
economic
pressure
The
tariff
threat
directly
affects
Iran’s
main
commercial
partners,
which
include
China,
Turkey,
the
United
Arab
Emirates,
Iraq
and
India.
These
countries
buy
Iranian
goods
and,
in
some
cases,
supply
essential
imports.
The
new
measure
aims
to
restrict
that
flow
by
forcing
governments
and
companies
to
choose
between
access
to
the
US
market
and
doing
business
with
Iran.
The
policy
shift
arrives
as
Trump
weighs
how
far
to
go
in
responding
to
the
protests
in
Iran,
which
have
spread
to
between
130
and
150
cities,
according
to
Vali
Nasr
from
Johns
Hopkins
School
of
Advanced
International
Studies.
Rights
organisations
report
a
rising
death
toll,
while
security
forces,
including
the
Revolutionary
Guards,
are
accused
of
leading
harsh
repression
on
the
streets.
Trump
Iran
protests:
military
options
and
White
House
signals
At
the
White
House,
Press
Secretary
Karoline
Leavitt
confirmed
that
force
remains
an
option,
saying
earlier
on
Monday:
“Air
strikes
would
be
one
of
the
many,
many
options
that
are
on
the
table,”
highlighting
that
Trump
is
still
considering
military
choices
alongside
economic
tools
and
diplomatic
contacts.
Leavitt
also
stressed
that
talks
have
not
stopped,
saying
Iran
maintains
a
channel
to
Trump’s
special
envoy
Steve
Witkoff.
According
to
Leavitt,
Iranian
officials
use
“a
far
different
tone”
in
private
messages
than
in
public
speeches,
suggesting
Tehran
may
still
look
for
ways
to
ease
tensions
even
while
denouncing
Washington
in
official
statements.
Trump
Iran
protests:
goals,
risks
and
questions
over
intervention
Trump’s
team
holds
a
range
of
options
in
dealing
with
Iran’s
unrest,
stretching
from
low-risk
support
measures
to
direct
military
action.
Analysts
say
any
decision
first
depends
on
Trump
defining
his
ultimate
aim,
including
whether
he
wants
to
weaken
the
Islamic
republic
or
actively
seek
its
collapse,
something
Trump
has
often
criticised
when
discussing
earlier
US
efforts
at
“regime
change”
in
Iraq.
Ten
days
have
passed
since
Trump
warned
that
the
United
States
was
“locked
and
loaded”
and
prepared
to
“come
to
the
rescue”
if
Iran’s
clerical
leadership
kills
large
numbers
of
demonstrators.
Since
that
warning,
Trump
continues
to
talk
about
possible
strikes
even
as
reports
emerge
of
hundreds
of
protester
deaths,
raising
questions
about
whether
Washington
will
move
beyond
statements
and
sanctions.
Trump
Iran
protests:
momentum
on
streets
and
views
from
exiles
Reza
Pahlavi,
the
US-based
son
of
Iran’s
last
shah,
has
tried
to
influence
Trump’s
thinking
by
appealing
to
the
president’s
sense
of
history.
Pahlavi
has
urged
Trump
not
to
repeat
what
critics
see
as
Barack
Obama’s
caution
during
the
2009
demonstrations,
when
Obama
worried
that
loud
US
backing
might
undermine
a
domestically
driven
movement.
Some
specialists
argue
that
conditions
now
differ
from
2009,
with
protests
spreading
beyond
educated
urban
groups
to
wider
sections
of
society.
Ray
Takeyh
of
the
Council
on
Foreign
Relations,
who
has
written
on
the
shah’s
downfall,
says
Trump
could
direct
pressure
at
security
units
such
as
the
Revolutionary
Guards,
potentially
reassuring
frightened
citizens
and
helping
“affect
the
fence-sitters
in
thinking
about
joining
the
protests
or
not,”
as
Takeyh
put
it.
Trump
Iran
protests:
how
much
force
and
what
kind
of
strikes?
Trump
already
showed
willingness
to
use
force
in
June,
when
strikes
on
Iranian
nuclear
sites
were
ordered
in
support
of
an
Israeli
campaign.
That
action
matched
a
pattern
seen
in
places
like
Venezuela,
where
Trump
has
favoured
limited,
high-profile
operations
that
can
be
quickly
declared
successful,
while
avoiding
long,
complex
wars
that
demand
sustained
US
involvement.
Vali
Nasr
warns
that
any
serious
attempt
to
hit
security
forces
across
Iran
would
go
far
beyond
a
few
sorties,
given
protests
in
130
to
150
cities.
Nasr
believes
Trump
“doesn’t
want
to
get
his
hands
dirty,”
suggesting
“a
performative
strike
may
be
more
where
he
wants
to
go,”
meaning
a
narrow
attack
designed
to
send
a
message
rather
than
change
conditions
on
every
street.
Trump
Iran
protests:
impact
on
demonstrators
and
debate
over
diplomacy
Behnam
Ben
Taleblu
from
the
Foundation
for
Defense
of
Democracies
says
the
main
danger
is
not
that
people
rally
around
the
Iranian
flag,
but
that
fear
keeps
protesters
indoors.
“The
challenge
of
the
strikes
is
how
to
make
sure
they
don’t
lead
to
the
disbursement
of
protesters
rather
than
the
amplification
of
protests,
if
the
strikes
go
off
the
rails
—
if
targeting
is
poor,
if
intelligence
is
poor,”
Ben
Taleblu
warned.
Ben
Taleblu
adds
that
even
choosing
not
to
attack
would
send
a
strong
message,
saying
inaction
would
“play
into
the
regime’s
narrative
of
painting
America
as
not
able
to
actually
come
through.”
That
argument
fuels
calls
from
some
Republican
hawks
and
Reza
Pahlavi,
who
oppose
diplomacy
and
say
talks
only
extend
the
Islamic
republic’s
life
by
easing
external
pressure.
Others
disagree.
Mohammad
Ali
Shabani,
editor
of
Amwaj.media,
which
tracks
Iran
closely,
believes
many
citizens
would
back
an
agreement
that
softens
sanctions
and
“lifts
the
shadow
of
war.”
Shabani
argues,
“I
think
this
would
supersede
any
kind
of
short-term
survival
for
the
Islamic
republic
because
the
way
things
are
structured,
I
think
most
Iranians
at
this
point
accept
that
the
Islamic
republic
is
not
going
to
be
there
forever.”
While
Trump
also
explores
ways
to
restore
internet
access
that
authorities
in
Tehran
have
cut,
his
administration
continues
indirect
contacts
through
Steve
Witkoff,
even
as
tariffs,
air
strike
threats
and
competing
expert
views
shape
a
fluid
situation
in
Iran,
leaving
protesters,
regional
states
and
trading
partners
such
as
India
watching
closely
for
Trump’s
next
move.
