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Trump says China and other countries trading with Iran to face additional 25% tariffs
Trump announces tariffs ‘effective immediately’. China, Iran’s largest trading partner, and India among economies doing business with Tehran
Khushboo Razdanin Washington
Published: 6:54am, 13 Jan 2026Updated: 9:37am, 13 Jan 2026
US President Donald Trump on Monday announced sweeping new tariffs targeting nations maintaining commercial ties with Iran.
Effective immediately, the US will impose a 25 per cent tariff on all goods and services imported from any country that “does business” with Iran, Trump said in a social media post.
The president characterised the order as “final and conclusive”.
“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,” he said.
While the order is global, it is expected to hit major economies, specifically China and India, the hardest, given their significant energy and commercial ties with Tehran.
China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China is Iran’s largest trading partner, accounting for roughly 30 per cent of the country’s total foreign trade and 90 per cent of shipped oil exports. Russia and India follow at a distance.
However, according to the latest China General Administration of Customs (GACC) reports from late December 2025, official trade between China and Iran plunged by 24 per cent in the first 11 months of last year.
Last year, Trump imposed 25 per cent “reciprocal” tariffs on India, along with an additional 25 per cent penalty for New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian crude oil.
Monday’s announcement came as India’s information technology and communications minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent alongside officials from other Group of Seven economies. At the meeting, the Trump administration urged India to reduce its dependence on China for critical minerals.
Meanwhile, despite an agreement between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, to roll back some trade barriers, the average US tariff on Chinese imports has remained at 47.5 per cent, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington-based think tank.
Trump is expected to rely on executive authority to impose the new tariffs without seeking congressional approval. Last year, he levied additional duties on all US trading partners under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
That approach is now facing a legal test, with an active challenge questioning whether a president can invoke “national emergency” powers to impose permanent tariffs. The US Supreme Court is expected to rule this week. An adverse decision could require Washington to refund billions of dollars in collected duties, but for now, the administration is pressing ahead.
Trump has explicitly linked the latest tariffs to Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protests. Media reports say nearly 500 people have been killed, while authorities have imposed a near-total internet blackout. |
