On Jan. 12, U.S. President Donald Trump posted to his social media account:
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% of any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to the matter!
“President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Trump’s announcement, attempting to tighten the noose around Iran, is possibly the basis for a military attack on Iran. But it is also an attack on other nations, especially China and Russia, which have important trade and privileged relations with Iran.
China strongly “slammed” the tariff as an attack on itself, doing this through the Chinese Embassy in the United States. An article on Jan. 13 in the Global Times, entitled “Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Slams U.S. Tariffs on Iran’s Trading Partners, Vows To Take Necessary Measures To Protect Its Rights, Interests,” reports that Liu Pengyu, the spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., posted to his X account on Jan. 12: “China firmly opposes any illicit unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction, and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.” Liu continued: “China’s position against the indiscriminate imposition of tariffs is consistent and clear. Tariff wars and trade wars have no winners, and coercion and pressure cannot solve problems.”
The effective tariff rate on Chinese goods entering the United States at the end of 2025 was 29.3%. This would raise the effective tariff rate to 55%.
On Jan. 13, Russia said that it rejected “attempts to blackmail” Iran’s partners through Trump’s tariff. In a statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Western sanctions on Iran, which she defined as “illegal,” hinder the country’s development and create economic and social problems primarily affecting ordinary Iranian citizens. She added, situating tariffs within the larger activities of the United States: “Foreign forces hostile to Iran are attempting to exploit the mounting social tensions to destabilize and destroy the Iranian state. The infamous ‘color revolution’ method is being used.”
Trump has eliminated the pretense that U.S. use of tariffs has anything to do with increasing industry or improving the well-being of the U.S. economy. They are blunt instruments to enforce America’s will on other countries. They shove the world closer to the edge of permanent war.
