United States (US) President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the US will impose a 25% tariff on any country trading with Iran, effective immediately.
The move comes as a response to reports that at least 646 people have been killed during a crackdown on protests in Iran.
The US president wrote in a post on Truth Social that any country “doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran” will pay a 25% tariff “effective immediately.”He said the tariff would be imposed on “any and all business being done” with the US.
Brazil, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Russia are among the economies which do business with Tehran. China criticised the possible tariffs, saying it opposes “any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction”.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Tuesday that the death toll has reached at least 646 and is expected to rise.
According to Sky News, the group believes more than 10,600 people have been detained during the protests.
Iran has not shared an official death toll and blames the unrest on US interference and what it calls “Israeli and US-backed terrorists”.Earlier, Trump has mentioned taking military action to protect demonstrators and said US airstrikes remain “on the table”.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said the president was “unafraid to use military options” and “airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table”.
However, she added that “diplomacy is always the first option”.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, claimed the protests were “under total control”. He told the Al Jazeera news outlet that his country was “ready for war but also dialogue”.
The US president said on Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, noting, “Iran wants to negotiate.”
State TV showed pro-government demonstrators on the streets Monday following days of protests against the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Footage showed crowds shouting “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
The internet and phone lines are currently cut off in Iran. The demonstrations began on 28 December over the collapse of the rial currency before growing into a challenge againstthe government.
(Sky News)