U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that any nation that "does business" with Iran will be punished by Washington with a 25% tariff, marking another step in the campaign to economically suffocate the government of Tehran.
"This order is immediate and final," Trump said in a post on his official Truth Social account.
The head of state added that any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will have to pay a 25% tariff on all commercial transactions it conducts with the United States of America.
Trump's warning comes after he reportedly told the U.S. digital news outlet Axios that Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, contacted Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East and Ukraine, Steve Witkoff, this past weekend with the apparent intention of easing tensions with Washington.
The contacts were maintained after Trump threatened to attack the Persian nation in response to the repression initiated by the authorities against massive demonstrations shaking the country, which have left a high number of dead and detained.
In recent days, opposition groups and various NGOs specializing in human rights have published different figures on the victims caused by the repression, in a very wide range that goes from dozens to several hundred dead.
For her part, the White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, assured at a press conference this Monday that Trump does not rule out military action against Iran.
Tehran maintains commercial relations with several countries in the region, with Brazil being its main regional partner in the exchange of agricultural products and fertilizers, and also has trade ties with nations such as Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay, according to official data.
