Trump’s Iran tariff threat: which countries could be affected?

President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on imports from any country that supplies Iran with military weapons, expanding pressure beyond Tehran to its potential partners.

The warning, announced shortly after a two-week ceasefire with Iran, would apply broadly to all goods exported to the United States from those countries, with no exemptions.

While no countries were officially named, analysts and reporting have pointed to major powers such as China and Russia, which have been linked in past reports to providing dual-use items, military technology, or support to Iran.

Both countries have denied supplying weapons in recent phases of the conflict, though concerns about indirect or technological support persist.

The proposal builds on Trump’s previous use of tariffs as a foreign policy tool. However, its implementation remains uncertain. A recent US Supreme Court decision limited the administration’s ability to rely on emergency powers to impose broad tariffs, meaning new measures could require alternative legal pathways, such as congressional approval or trade investigations.

As a result, while the threat signals a potential escalation in economic pressure, its practical application may depend on legal, diplomatic, and geopolitical developments.