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Human rights groups say Iranian security forces have killed hundreds of protesters in recent days, prompting Trump to threaten military intervention.
Trump says he’s weighing military options in Iran amid protests
Anti-government protests in Iran have become increasingly deadly as they enter a third week.
President Donald Trump announced a tariff on goods from any nation that does business with Iran as he pressures the country to stop a deadly crackdown on widespread protests.
“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,” Trump said on social media. “This Order is final and conclusive.”
Iranian security forces have killed hundreds of protesters in recent days as people take to the streets to express anger over the country’s economic woes, as well as social and cultural restrictions. Human Rights Activist News Agency says it has verified 500 protester deaths. The Iranian regime has imposed an Internet blackout amid the demonstrations.
“A massacre is unfolding in the country since the internet and communications shutdown,” Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, told USA TODAY on Jan 12. “It’s a war unfolding on protesters.”
Apart from the latest tariffs, Trump is also threatening military action in Iran.
“One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Jan. 12. “And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief.”
Trump’s new tariffs threaten to curtail economic activity in Iran, adding to the pressure on the regime after years of international sanctions. With a population of nearly 92 million, Iran’s top trading partners for exports are Iraq, China and Turkey, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
Trump said Iranian leaders called over the weekend to negotiate and a potential meeting is in the works. Leavitt said diplomacy is “always the first option” but that Trump “has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”
Trump last summer ordered the U.S. military to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.
(This story has been updated with more information.)
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Joey Garrison