Trump announces 50% tariffs on nations supplying Iran with weapons
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that imports from countries supplying Iran with military weapons will face immediate 50 percent tariffs with no exemptions. He announced the potential duties in a social media post just hours after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.
Trump’s post on Truth Social did not specify which legal authority he would use to impose the tariffs. In February, the Supreme Court struck down his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to apply broad global tariffs, prompting a lower court to order refunds totaling about $166 billion that had been collected over a year.
The 1977 IEEPA law has long been used to support financial sanctions against countries including Iran, Russia, and North Korea. However, the court ruled that the law did not authorize its use for imposing trade tariffs.
“A country supplying military weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50 percent, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions,” Trump wrote.
He did not name any specific countries that could face the tariffs. China and Russia have previously helped Iran expand its military capabilities in response to pressure from the United States and Israel, supplying missiles, air-defense systems, and other technology intended to strengthen deterrence.
During recent U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, however, that support appeared limited. Both Beijing and Moscow have denied supplying weapons recently, although accusations involving Russia have continued.
Reuters reported in February, before the first U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, that Tehran was considering purchasing supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles from China. In March, Reuters also reported that China’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC, had sent chipmaking equipment to Iran’s military, according to two senior Trump administration officials.
Trump may have other tools available to impose tariffs. He already maintains Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods from his first term, targeting unfair trade practices. These duties could potentially be expanded, and there are also ongoing investigations involving excess industrial capacity and China’s compliance with a 2020 trade agreement. However, such measures would require a public notice period before taking effect.
Another option could involve Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, a Cold War-era law that allows tariffs on specific sectors to protect domestic industries for national security reasons. Using this authority would require a new investigation and a public comment period that could take several months.
Additional tariffs on Chinese goods could raise tensions with Beijing as Trump prepares for a planned trip to China to meet with President Xi Jinping in an effort to reinforce a fragile trade truce between the world’s two largest economies.
On Tuesday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the administration aims to maintain stability in the U.S.–China relationship. The goal, he said, is to preserve U.S. access to Chinese rare-earth minerals and magnets while keeping current tariff levels in place.
“What we are not looking for is massive confrontation or anything like that with China,” Greer said regarding the planned meeting between Trump and Xi.
Russia has also provided arms technology to Iran, though U.S. imports of Russian goods have dropped sharply since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the financial sanctions that followed.
Despite that decline, U.S. imports from Russia increased 26.1 percent to $3.8 billion in 2025. These imports are largely made up of palladium used in automotive catalytic converters, fertilizers and related ingredients, and enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. The Commerce Department is already moving toward imposing punitive tariffs on Russian palladium following an anti-dumping investigation.
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