Tehran has accused the US and Israel of stirring up unrest to manufacture a pretext for military intervention

US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a blanket 25% tariff on any nation that conducts business with Iran, escalating his pressure campaign to isolate the Islamic Republic amid ongoing unrest.

The new tariff threat comes after Trump promised “very strong options” and suggested that Washington could intervene militarily to support the Iranian people’s quest for “freedom.” Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of orchestrating a deadly “terrorist war” within its borders.

“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

Read more

The White House has yet to clarify when the tariff will take effect or which countries will be affected the most. Among Iran’s top trade partners that also conduct business with the US are China, India, and Brazil, as well as Pakistan, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, a key US ally in the region.

The protests in Iran, which began in late December after a collapse in the national currency spurred sharp price hikes, have evolved into the most severe unrest in years. Clashes have reportedly resulted in hundreds of deaths, with numerous mosques, medical centers, and government buildings set ablaze.

In a meeting with foreign diplomats in Tehran on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented what he described as extensive evidence of US and Israeli involvement. He alleged that foreign-backed infiltrators, including Mossad operatives speaking Farsi, were embedded among protesters with orders to shoot both civilians and security forces to create chaos and a pretext for foreign intervention.

Read more

Trump has renewed his ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran since returning to office last year. In June, the US joined an Israeli attack on several of the Islamic Republic’s biggest nuclear sites after accusing it of pursuing a nuclear weapon – allegations that Tehran has denied, insisting that its program is purely peaceful.

Simultaneously, the US president has pursued a tariff war against economic rivals and allies alike, accusing them of taking advantage of US markets. Trump earlier floated the idea of sanctioning Russia’s trade partners amid frustration over stalled Ukraine peace efforts, but he has so far gone no further than imposing an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods.