US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order threatening tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Iran, even as he pledged a further round of talks with Tehran next week.
The order, which takes effect on Saturday, calls for a fresh “imposition of tariffs” on countries that maintain commercial ties with Iran.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with a US naval group led by an aircraft carrier operating in Middle Eastern waters and indirect talks on Iran’s nuclear programme held in Oman on Friday.
Under the order, tariffs “may be imposed on goods imported into the United States that are products of any country that directly or indirectly purchases, imports, or otherwise acquires any goods or services from Iran”.
Trump last month threatened 25 percent tariffs on any country trading with Iran. The new order establishes a formal process for his administration to impose such levies.
The tariff rate will be determined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, although the order notes it could be “for example” 25 percent, the level first mentioned by Trump in mid-January.
The measures could affect trade with a range of countries, including Russia, Germany, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
China is Iran’s largest trading partner, accounting for more than a quarter of its trade. According to World Trade Organization data, Iran imported $18 billion worth of goods from China and exported $14.5 billion in 2024.
Talks held on Friday in Muscat, mediated by Oman, were the first between the two adversaries since the United States joined Israel’s war with Iran in June, launching strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“We likewise had very good talks on Iran,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “We’re going to meet again early next week,” he added.
Diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States were severed following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after militants seized the US embassy in Tehran and held American hostages for 444 days. Direct engagement has remained rare in the decades since.
Iran remains under an internet blackout amid a severe government crackdown on nationwide economic protests that erupted in December.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Friday it had confirmed the deaths of 6,505 protesters, as well as 214 members of the security forces and 61 bystanders.
AFP
