Hours after announcing a two-week ceasefire with Tehran, US President Donald Trump warned that countries supplying military weapons to Iran would face immediate 50% tariffs on all goods exported to the
United States.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said there would be “no exclusions or exemptions” for such tariffs, signalling a tough stance against nations he believes are helping rebuild Iran’s military capabilities.
“A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately, There will be no exclusions or exemptions!” he said in a post on Truth Social.
While he did not name specific countries, the warning appeared directed at China and Russia, both of which have been accused by Washington of supporting Iran’s defence sector.
China and Russia have helped Iran build military capacity to counter US and Israeli pressure, supplying missiles, air-defense systems and dual-use technologies intended to bolster deterrence. That support appeared capped during the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Both Beijing and Moscow have denied supplying any weapons recently, although allegations against Russia have persisted.
The move marks a shift back to Trump’s use of trade measures as a foreign policy tool, following weeks of military strikes targeting Iran’s missile systems and defence infrastructure.
However, the tariff threat comes amid legal constraints. The US Supreme Court earlier this year limited the President’s ability to impose sweeping tariffs under emergency powers, potentially complicating any immediate implementation of such measures.
According to news agency Reuters, prior to the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, Tehran was considering a purchase of supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles from China. Additionally, China’s top semiconductor maker, SMIC, has sent chipmaking tools to Iran’s military, according to two senior Trump administration officials.
“This is a China-related threat, the way I read it. And China will read it that way,” said Josh Lipsky, vice president and chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council.
Although drone and missile parts routinely flow from Chinese entities to Iran, evading US sanctions, Lipsky said Trump was unlikely to follow through with new tariffs in the near term because that would derail his planned trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Analysts say the warning may be aimed more at signalling intent than triggering immediate action, especially given ongoing efforts by the US to maintain stable ties with China. Washington has been cautious about escalating trade tensions with Beijing, particularly due to its reliance on Chinese rare-earth supplies.
Despite denials from both China and Russia over recent arms transfers to Iran, US officials have continued to raise concerns about the flow of military and dual-use technologies to Tehran.
Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods over nearly eight years already have cut U.S. imports from China sharply, from a peak of $538.5 billion in 2018 to $308.4 billion in 2025, with further declines recorded in January and February of 2026.
Russia has been another source of arms technology for Iran, but US imports of Russian goods also have shriveled since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the wave of financial sanctions imposed on Moscow as a result of that move.
(With inputs from agencies)
