Trump Imposed 25 Percent Duties Against Countries Cooperating With Iran
- 13.01.2026, 8:46
They will primarily affect the tri-state area.
US President Donald Trump has announced additional duties against Iran's trading partners. "Starting today, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25% duty on all business transactions with the United States," the White House chief wrote on the Truth Social network. As Bloomberg notes, Iran's main trading partners include India, Turkey and China. Meanwhile, the US has already imposed increased duties on Indian and Chinese goods, including over purchases of Russian oil.
Before that, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said that Trump was considering any action against Iran because of its violent crackdown on protests, including airstrikes. However, the president's "first option" considers diplomacy, Leavitt emphasized. In turn, Axios sources among U.S. officials said the president is leaning toward airstrikes but intends to discuss possible actions with his national security team on Tuesday, January 13, before making a final decision. According to one of the publication's interlocutors, some in the president's administration believe strikes on Iran could be counterproductive. Trump himself said Tehran had crossed all "red lines" in its crackdown on protests, but requested talks that could take place soon.
Mass protests have been ongoing in Iran since late December 2025, which began because of a falling currency and soaring prices. According to the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), more than 500 people have been killed and 10,600 arrested during the suppression of protests over the past two weeks. The protesters across the country are demanding a change of political regime and the coming to power of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah who was deposed in 1979. Pahlavi, in turn, called on Trump to "intervene as soon as possible" to reduce the number of possible casualties in the country and achieve the fall of the ayatollahs' regime. Tehran, against this background, accused the US and Israel of organizing the protests and threatened to attack US military bases in the Middle East in response to Washington's possible actions.