Trump Says Countries Doing Business With Iran Will Pay 25 Percent Tariff

President Donald Trump announced on Jan. 12 that countries trading with Iran will face a 25 percent tariff.

The announcement comes as the Islamic Republic’s regime grapples with some of the most significant protests since it took over the secular monarchy of the shah in 1979.

“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25 percent on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social in the late afternoon. “This Order is final and conclusive.”

The president did not provide other details on the executive order. No order related to Iran-linked tariffs had been released by the White House as of the evening of Jan. 12.

The comment from Trump comes just hours after the White House signaled that the administration could consider airstrikes or other measures against Iran.

Although airstrikes are one of many alternatives open to Trump, “diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Jan. 12.

“What you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” she said.

Trump said on Jan. 11 that Iranian officials had reached out to the White House about a potential nuclear deal.

“We may meet with them. A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening,” he told reporters on Air Force One, adding that “very strong options” are possible with regard to supporting the protests in Iran.

Iranian officials warned that Tehran would target U.S. military bases in the Middle East if an attack were launched. Trump warned that it could provide a significant response.

“If they did that, we will hit them at a level they were never hit before,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 11. “I have options that are so strong. If they did that, I will hit them with very powerful force.”

The president said that he may also speak with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and ask him to help restore internet access in Iran through the Starlink satellite system. A countrywide internet blackout has been reported since last week, and many state-run Iranian media websites are currently down.

Iran blames the protests and any other violence on the United States and what it calls Israeli- and U.S.-backed terrorists.

The demonstrations began on Dec. 28, 2025, as a result of the collapse of the Iranian rial, which trades at more than 1.4 million to $1, as Iran’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied because of its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

More than 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. It reported that more than 500 protesters have died, although The Epoch Times could not immediately verify the accuracy of the group’s reports.

On Jan. 12, Iranian state television showed images of Tehran with pro-regime demonstrators pushing toward Enghelab Square in the capital. It described the demonstration as an “uprising against American-Zionist terrorism.”

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.