President Donald Trump on Monday shared that he is placing a 25 percent tariff on any country that does business with Iran.
Trump took to Truth Social in the late afternoon to announce the action.
“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,” he wrote. “This Order is final and conclusive.”
Hours earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump has all options on the table, ranging from air strikes to diplomacy, in a potential response to the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protesters.
“Well, I think one thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table, and airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” Leavitt said when asked if airstrikes “were off the table.”
“He’s told all of you last night that what you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite differently [sic] from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt added.
She further noted that special envoy Steve Witkoff “will continue to be a very important player in diplomacy with respect to Iran.”
Trump said Saturday that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before” and that the United States “stands ready to help.”
According to CNN, over 500 protesters have been killed in the demonstrations against Iran’s government, and more than 10,000 have been arrested.
Trump said Sunday night, while returning to Washington, DC, from Palm Beach, Florida, that it looks like Iran is starting to cross his red line.
“There seemed to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed,” he said, adding that the Iranian regime, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rules “through violence.”
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” he added.
He did note that “stampeding” killed some protesters, while some were shot.
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